Tears of Success
by Monou Hakkai
Summary: Things go wrong for the iceskater Makoto and someone with green eyes and weirdly styled brown hair offers to help her. WAFF ALERT
1. ch 1

Tears of Success 1

By: Makoto Almasy

Rating: PG

Summary: Things go wrong for the ice-skater Makoto and someone offers to help her with her problems.  

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.

AN: Sorry about the boring title.  I couldn't think of anything nicer.  Trowa's character has sort of changed too.  

****

"Looks like it's going to be a good show tonight," Catherine commented to her quiet companion while she looked around in the arena where millions of hopeful faces gathered in their seats, chatting to each other excitedly on what they expected from the performers.  The business at the circus Trowa and Catherine worked in everyday seemed to be taking a break from the exhausting exercise and training they had had to go through to put up a good show.  The manager had decided he needed a long holiday away from the circus and travel to a sunnier country where there were no wars going on.  

No wars.  Hmm… Trowa thought.  Well it was true.  That was how the world was today.  There was no fighting between people and no signs of mobile suits.  Military equipment and bases vanished in front of the public's eyes along with the Gundam suits.  The day felt so empty without the sound of gunfire echoing in the air.  Like most people around her, Catherine didn't approve of wars starting everywhere on Earth or the space colonies.  It wasn't right for anyone to die innocently and fight for no reason.  Presently, life was perfect for everyone to live in.  

There was no such thing as terrorism or war being mentioned among the media.  Every country was at peace for the moment. How long this peaceful living would last was still unsure in people's thoughts.  A minority of the public worried that something would go wrong at any time and didn't keep their hopes too highly.  What could happen if the peace was broken yet again and a terrorist decided to ruin the world or start another war? More people would die innocently.

Trowa couldn't help having these fearful thoughts in his seat.  He was paying no attention to the noise behind him as he waited patiently for the show to begin.  It was Catherine's idea to come watch young ice-skaters entertain the audience.  The age range was from 14-18.  Quite a variety, wasn't it? Trowa was hoping to have a nice quiet time reading or looking at the stars in the night sky rather than watching an ice-skating show with a noisy audience.  But then, he wanted to make Catherine feel better by letting her have her way for a night.  Actually it was nice to go out after a long war and do something entertaining.

It was part of relaxation.  It could take your mind off every worry in your head.  This was what Trowa was trying to do, wasn't it? I'm here to…enjoy myself and forget the bad things.  Yeah that sounds right He leaned back in his chair to straighten his posture.  

He didn't realise Catherine still tried to talk to him as he sat silently, thinking he hadn't heard what she said just a minute ago. 

"I said tonight is going to be a good show," she repeated and smiled lightly, "you looked like you drifted off in another world."             

"Sorry about that, Cathy.  Didn't mean to," Trowa admitted timidly, looking at his lap.  

"Oh smile for your sister.  Please?" Catherine pouted. "It won't make me happy if I don't see you smile tonight." Trowa frowned briefly at his sister's demand.  First she wanted him to follow her to a show and now she wants him to give her a huge smile.  What else did she want her little brother to do? He flashed a quick smile on his face, adding a hesitant chuckle.  "See? That wasn't so hard.  Now keep smiling throughout the whole show to prove you're enjoying yourself." Catherine's enjoyment was cut off when Trowa stood up from his seat with another emotionless façade.

"I need to splash some water on my face.  It's getting hot in here," He excused and walked across the balcony, heading towards the EXIT sign.

"But Trowa, the show will start in five minutes.  They won't let people in after the show begins.  You won't be able to come back in," Catherine warned.  It was too late for him to listen to her warning as Trowa's shadow shrunk into the open doorway.  Why did he walk off like that? He hadn't changed that much over the past months had he? Catherine sighed and turned her head back to the empty ice-rink.  Sometimes she really couldn't understand Trowa.  It was hard to talk to him about almost anything personal.

****

Trowa followed the directional arrows in the ceiling.  He didn't think the public toilets were opposite the changing rooms that the ice-skaters had to use to get dressed before their performances.  Mobbing fans could easily wait outside the changing rooms for hours to be the first to receive autographs.  Trowa was certain these skaters weren't popular or took part in the world Olympic games.  They were only doing this show to impress the crowd.  Who knows? Maybe a popular skating instructor would notice the skaters tonight and approach them with a chance to compete in the Olympic games, hopefully to win gold medals for their country.  

Trowa found the toilets were clean everywhere.  The mirrors had no leftover water drops and the taps were shiny.  He noticed the water flowing out the taps were crystal clear and undoubtedly safe to drink.  He didn't want to leave Cathy alone like that but he did mean what he said on the arena getting hot.  Who would have thought a show full of amateur skaters would sell out this quickly.  Perhaps a celebrity skater was going to have a guest appearance and his or her fans were desperate to come and watch.  Popularity wasn't a friendly experience to have as a celebrity.  All you'd ever get were crazy fans stalking you outside your hotel room.

Trowa rubbed the water over his closed eyelids and across his face, his hot skin absorbing the wetness immediately.  People were very excited about this show.  He could see it on their faces.  Music began to sound in the ceiling.  Looked like the show was starting now.  Would it matter if he weren't allowed in? He could go outside for fresh air if he wanted to.  This was for Catherine's enjoyment.  Not his.  He left the men's room and turned right down the long corridor.  The men's changing room was open and he could see male skaters in glittering coats and tight trousers leave in a line.  More than two conversations were happening at once, which was difficult for Trowa to listen altogether. 

He wasn't exactly sure why people adored ice-skating.  Was it the music or the dazzling movement? He found that working in the circus allowed the performer to have more freedom in the air and ground because one would be able to jump as high as he wanted and stay off the ground for a long time.  Trowa was a naturally acrobatic person so of course the audience was impressed by his agility.  He was happy being the silent Doukeshi that made the children's faces sparkle delightfully.  And the animals loved him too.

"Get ready people! We're up after Mia, ok?" 

Trowa turned around to see three teenage boys and one tiny girl sprint past his slow walking, skinny body.  He knew he was going to be late and the security guards wouldn't let him pass into the arena.  If he could, he could take a peek through a curtain or something or watch the show by a TV screen in the front reception.  Thinking of this possibility, Trowa decided to slow his pace and take his time walking.  The classical music vibrated off the wall and the ceiling loudly.  He wondered if skaters used gentle, pop songs to dance to rather the usual classical tunes.  Classic music had a touch of drama and shear excitement, which was probably the reason why skaters use it to their performances.  

The applause from the audience boomed down the corridor and was louder than the music playing a minute ago.  They sure liked the performer, didn't they? Trowa saw the main arena entrance and noticed other people were disallowed to enter.  Two security guards kept shaking their heads, asking the latecomers to leave.  Trowa turned the other way and decided to walk in another corridor away from the arena's doorway.  Somehow he did feel quite guilty for walking off like that just as the show was about to begin.  Catherine was right.  He'd miss out on all the entertainment.  He did deserve it after being a professionally cool circus performer for nearly a year.  He was a definite favourite with his sister, doing daring stunts not many would do.  It was his turn to be entertained.

He spotted the same group of teenage skaters walking in the opposite direction.  It seemed the corridor he was walking down also lead to the arena.  He could tell they had finished their show and were on their way back to the changing room.

"GOOD LUCK, MAKOTO.  HAVE FUN!!" The girl suddenly called as she and her friends passed Trowa.  The three boys gave instantaneous thumbs-up signs to the next performer.  Who was this Makoto? Trowa wondered.  Sounds of exhausted panting neared his back and he straightaway worked out this person was Makoto. 

"Phew, thank god I made it.  Thought I was gonna be late.  Uh excuse me," A tired female voice passed him and elbowed his left arm.  Trowa looked up and saw the girl turn around apologetically with her head over her shoulder while she continued to run forwards.  "Sorry, didn't mean to hit your arm." Beyond the jade colour, the girl's eyes seemed to show signs of hopeful reassurance - as if she wanted Trowa to accept her apology.  The Doukeshi thought she had wonderful eyes.  Dark, wonderful green eyes that couldn't be turned away from.  The girl called Makoto pivoted her head back to the front.  Her ponytail of brown, wavy hair swaying from left to right as she disappeared into the FIRE EXIT door, which had to lead to the ice-rink.

Well if people weren't able to get through the front door then this secret doorway the skaters will do fine.  I could still watch the excitement come to life Trowa quietly closed the door behind him and saw a group of nervous skaters lining up while they watched the current skater twirling in the air, making the audience gasp.  It was funny how no one seemed to notice him come into this restricted area.  They were too busy looking in awe at the brilliance the show was giving tonight.  

"Excuse me, are you performing as well?" Trowa could tell the woman was a skating coach from looking at her sportswear.  She seemed to have been watching for more than an hour, according to the red cheeks and tired eyes on her young looking face.  Trowa guessed she was the same age as Catherine.  A moment of silence gave the suspicious coach an obvious answer.  "Please make your way back through the main entrance where the rest of the audience are.  This area is only for the skaters performing."

"Rika, he's with me.  Let him stay if he wants to." A familiar voice rang Trowa's ears.  He saw Makoto poke her head behind the coach who was called Rika.  He finally had the chance to get a better glimpse at her and was no more than amazed at the green dress she wore.  The green shade was slightly lighter than the green eyes she had but the dress suited her figure perfectly.  She nodded to Trowa invisibly before walking out to the rink.  The applause became louder at her arrival.  Why did she let me stay? Maybe she likes me…well Catherine did say some girls like me when I perform so it wouldn't be a surprise Trowa was impressed by Makoto's swift movement in her body as she twirled in numerous jumps and landing perfectly on her blades.  Rika looked him up and down strangely.

"Are you her new boy in life?" She asked.

"Uh…no I met her just now actually," Trowa replied, "You see, we…"

"Yeah, Mako-chan.  You're the greatest.  See guys.  Told ya she'd woo the crowd.  She's one of the best skaters among our club! Check out her flying camel," A girl cheered, causing Rika to leave her conversation with Trowa unfinished and move closer to watch the show.  The other skaters cheered as well and clapped their hands encouragingly when Makoto's face turned to their direction, adding a wink to say thanks to them.  Trowa assumed she must be one of the well-known faces in this club and had to admit this girl moved like a swan.  His thoughts were almost losing control while he watched Makoto sway to the music.  None of the audience could get enough of this girl.  She impressed the crowd all right.  Hasn't she been twirling around too much? What if she gets dizzy and makes a mistake? Trowa spotted Makoto's body sway a little awkwardly at times on the ice rink.  Was she used to this?          

"Dammit, she's turning too fast," Rika mumbled, "Something doesn't look right.  I didn't tell her to do more than ten twists.  Darn, she should have stayed at home to ease off the headache.  Why does she have to be a little stubborn? I know how she loves the crowd but this is madness." 

Trowa was surprised and never thought she was ill before the show started.  She certainly didn't look ill when she saw him.  Maybe she wanted to perform tonight because she loved seeing the crowds fill up in absolute pleasure.  She had the same idea as Trowa.  He knew in his heart that the crowd liked his clown act and it made him secretly happy.

The reaction in the crowd suddenly changed into a more serious gasp as they watched.  The other skaters saw the shock on the audience's faces while they observed the fallen female skater on the ice.  Makoto had somehow made a mess of her show tonight and it really upset her.  

"Oh no.  I did warn her!" Rika yelled and looked at the other teenagers gasping behind her, "Hey, contact the guys and tell them to turn off the music.  Makoto can't continue." She skidded into the ice-rink to see what had happened.  This moment occurred too soon for Trowa to catch.  What made her collapse onto her knees?  How could it be ruined? She was performing greatly a minute ago - so what went wrong? This was some entertainment.

TBC. 


	2. ch 2

Tears of Success 2

****

As her blades let out a deafening shriek on the ice, Makoto found her entire body toppling downwards along with her legs and knees.  Pain kicked in when her bare hands slapped against the hard surface.  This wasn't what you would call a safe landing.  The crowd wasn't sure whether to leave the arena or see if the skater was all right.  This wasn't good.  What just happened there? Makoto slowly lifted her hands off the ice and gasped when she saw her palms had developed pink rashes.  She looked down at her feet that had bent inwards from her fall, feeling the bones to see if they were in their normal places.  Not only did her hands hurt but her feet did too.  Where was the pain coming from if not her bones? Did her muscles ache? So many questions came into her mind that she wasn't fully aware of the audience watching her.  

"I feared something like this would happen tonight." Rika skidded to the middle of the ice rink to see Makoto. "Mako, I did warn you about resting from that bad headache you had all morning."

"I didn't have a headache tonight…" Makoto began to argue but her voice was cut off by an announcement that involved the audience having to leave half an hour early before the end of the show.  And there were supposed to be four more skaters performing tonight.  Half the crowd was complaining on what a waste of money this amateur show had been for them as they left the arena angrily.  Makoto didn't need to wear eardrums to hear anyone complain about her performance.  She could tell people were disappointed from looking at their faces.  People had serious frowns.  Others lowered their eyebrows or their gazes.  Rika had to pull a reluctant Makoto by the arm in order to bring her off the ice.  Makoto wasn't sure how everyone would react to her briefly ruined show tonight.  Did she disgrace the club?

She could feel everyone's eyes turn to her when she came backstage, "I'm so sorry people.  Really I am.  I didn't know what happened out there.  Something hit my blades and made me tumble."

"But there was nothing wrong with our skates when we went on.  How could your blades lose control like that? It's…impossible," A boy said.  Makoto removed her right shoe, flipped it upside down so the blade was facing upwards and observed the metallic support He's right.  There's nothing wrong with my blades.  Maybe it *was* my head that wasn't functioning.

"Can you stand on your feet, Makoto? Do any muscles hurt?" Rika asked and knelt down to examine Makoto's soles.

"I'm okay," She replied, still quite embarrassed from a screwed up show, which lasted less than ten minutes.  How could her show be ruined like this? She trained with Rika every day for eight hours non-stop.  Nothing could go wrong.  Training under the supervision of a friendly coach was guaranteed to mean a hit to the audience.  The other skaters respected Makoto as one of the best skaters here – as well as a senior.  Those who respected her were often the teenagers.  Makoto wondered if they matured earlier because of her influence.  She wasn't Usagi.  She couldn't exactly talk to the people to make them feel better.  It wasn't her primary skill.  Sure she tried to advise people on their problems; she just wasn't as important like her friend.  Usagi had a natural talent in talking sense to people even under all the horrible table manners and poor punctuality at school.

Makoto was half-surprised and half-grateful that neither one of the other skaters jeered at her for flunking her performance.  Hearing someone laugh at her was an anticipation she always kept inside. The teenage skaters experienced unsuccessful performances more often than she did and SHE was the one who would help them out during lessons.  Ever since joining the local figure skating club, Makoto was a part-time assistant in teaching.  Students actually paid her a lot of money to teach them although she refused the cash.  They thought she was worth it.  

"Listen, people.  We got three more days till the next show is on so we better not waste our time practising everything until the deadline.  Well done to everyone, who performed, ok? You were brilliant, especially to those who skated for the first time tonight," Rika announced.  Brilliant! Yeah right.  I was a disgrace Makoto thought sadly, looking down at her toes in her cream tights.  The voices between the other skaters echoed uncoordinatedly while she brooded in the corner.  Everyone left the backstage and exited through the door as if they were young kids rushing to be the first in a queue for food.        

Rika looked at her again and patted her shoulder comfortingly, "Skaters have their bad moments in the spotlight.  It's okay to make a mess once in a while.  You can't always be perfect."

"Yeah...you're right," Makoto responded in a mumble.  What happened tonight didn't seem natural to her.  

"Looks like your friend is still around."

She turned around and her memory came back to her when she spotted Trowa with his arms crossed over his chest casually.  His long fringe covering half his emotionless face while he looked at her with one emerald eye showing openly.  Rika's loud walking lowered as she left the two of them alone.  Trowa uncrossed his arms and lifted his head up to let Makoto have a proper glimpse at him.  He sure was quiet…and patient too.  

"I've seen your face somewhere before.  I can't remember where though." Makoto scratched her head thoughtfully.

"I work in the circus as a clown performer," Trowa replied helpfully.  

"Yeah that's right.  Your name is Trowa Barton, isn't it? And I know Catherine Bloom too.  She is spectacular.  The boys here want her autograph badly and keep drooling over her.  Do you think you can ask her to sign her name on paper for them? Maybe I can get your autograph too while you're here.  The girls will be so jealous of me." She grinned and covered a giggle.  However the small piece of laughter disappeared when Makoto saw the serious face on thebo.  He wasn't finding this funny, was he? Did she have to change the subject to a more important level? What could she talk about to grab his attention and change his emotion slightly? His quiet voice made her jump when he asked her a question. 

"Makoto, why did you let me stay here? I'm not a skater and this is a restricted area for the public," Trowa said.

"Well you're a celebrity in the circus…and because you're a cute boy," She smiled shyly. "Okay, okay forget the cute boy part.  I was only trying to make you smile!" Surprisingly, Trowa's still lips curved into a tiny smirk.  Not many people would be able to notice it in their first glance but if they looked closely they could see he was smiling for real.  

Makoto noticed how this boy looked very sweet when he smiled.  It suited him a lot. "By the way, Trowa, you don't have to thank me for saving you from being lectured by Rika.  She's just looking out for us skaters," She mentioned, "A few kids come here to be stupid and it ruins the skater's concentration before they get on the ice."            

"She must be a good coach," Trowa noticed.

"Oh she's the best teacher you can have.  People become professional skaters in less than a year when they're under her supervision.  Rarely does anyone fail or make a mistake in live performances…" She turned away to shield off her recurring shame in her body.  Here comes the embarrassment and guilt again.  In her last performance, she could hear her own yelp as she collapsed on the ice and her feet turn awkwardly in her boots.  It was as if there was a painful sting striking her ankle, causing her to fall down helplessly.  What went wrong? She knew she could only blame herself for ruining the club's show.  No one else was there to distract her movements or trip her up.  There was no such thing as the paranormal or supernatural.  That was sci-fi.  Makoto couldn't help sulking and wondered how someone like her could make one simple mistake, especially since she was someone who practised all the time.  Her daydreaming was interfered by Trowa's talking and she turned back to him.  

"What Rika said to you was true, Makoto," Trowa stated, "Professional skaters must have had one or two bad shows in their career.  So why bother sulking about it when you still have the time to prevent the same mistake from happening?"

"Three days sounds short.  Time can flash past you in less than a minute.  There's no way I can perfect everything during then," Makoto complained.  

"You skate beautifully.  It's hard to catch any mistakes."

The auburn haired girl blushed at the mention of 'beautiful.' "You're not a figure skater, Trowa.  Of course you wouldn't be able to find mistakes.  Rika has sharper eyes because she's an experienced coach and a skater herself." She sighed loudly and stretched her arms into the air, feeling her muscles pull.  "Anyway, I appreciate your generous talking but don't worry about me.  This is my problem."

"You two have a lot to talk about, don't you?" Rika reappeared in the empty ice rink, "Hey Catherine Bloom is looking for Trowa Barton.  I take he must be this boy here." She raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

"Yeah that's me." Trowa held his hand up to prove his identity.

"She's waiting by the reception."

The Doukeshi nodded thankfully, returned his attentive eyes to Makoto then walked out of the exit, leaving the same invisible smirk on his face.  Didn't he have anything to say to Makoto? Was she too rude to him? 

"He's a shy boy, isn't he?" Rika commented. "What did you two talk about?"

"Um…nothing much.  Just getting to know each other," Makoto's voice sounded far away as if in another dream world.

****           

Recognising Trowa's familiar figure, Catherine sat up from the leather couch outside the empty reception desk.  Trowa searched her face for any signs of anger or worry.  There was none of that.  Catherine was like him tonight.  Emotionless.  However it changed when she asked why did it take so long for him to come back to his seat.  He explained she was right on the security guards not letting anyone in after the show started and found another way of sneaking in to watch the entertainment.  He followed the skaters without being caught – until Rika spotted him, became suspicious and Makoto practically came to his rescue so he could stay and watch backstage in a secret area that was reserved for the skaters to stay in before their performance.  

Catherine was surprised Makoto was a fan of their circus and knew who she and Trowa were.  Her stern face lifted into a cheerful façade when she realised Trowa had been talking to a young girl the same age as him.  

"See, Trowa.  You do have female fans," She joked.  Trowa walked onward silently but Catherine persisted.  "You should talk to her more.  Even though she didn't perform well in the show, she is quite a pretty girl."

Trowa stopped walking down the nightly street and looked at his sister strangely.  He couldn't believe she wasn't angry with him.  Did she expect this kind of thing to happen with him? Was she used to it? Here she was going on about a girl who could possibly want to be his friend and she wasn't giving much of a damn on him disappearing in a usual way when he had something to do.  

"You like her, don't you Trowa? Come on you can tell me." Catherine nudged her elbow in his left arm.  She could have sworn she saw a blush develop on his cheeks while this conversation went on.  

"She is pretty, I guess," He admitted shyly.

"I was wondering why it was hard to find you.  Until I met Rika and she said she saw a quiet, good looking boy talking to her best student backstage.  It had to be you…"

"I'm going to see Makoto tomorrow," Trowa said bluntly.

"Really?" Catherine's eyes widened excitedly He likes her.  He doesn't want to admit it honestly.  

"I hear the next show might involve coupled skating and I don't think Makoto has a partner yet." Trowa resumed his walk back to the circus tent.  He suddenly had the urge of wanting to see *her* skate again.

"Wow, Trowa.  You're so talkative when you talk about this Makoto girl.  She must be something, huh?" Catherine winked jokingly though it didn't seem to affect Trowa by a lot.  He went inside the tent quietly without saying any more Always serious.  He never changes.

TBC. 


	3. ch 3

Tears of Success 3

****

The following day was about to transform into a more hectic schedule for Makoto when she arrived at the club ten minutes earlier than everyone else.  Today it was only the people who were eighteen years old that had training today.  The younger skaters were of course in school, burying their young minds into boring textbooks and listening to uninteresting facts underneath the teacher's nose.  They had at least four years to go till they decided what they really wanted to do in their career.  Whether it is college or full time employment.  Makoto was somehow glad she chose to become a popular ice skater that twirled around to impress the audience for her pleasure. 

Ami, Minako, Rei and Usagi were having fun on a university campus and studying there for three years while Makoto was in Juuban, sweating herself out in the ice rink.  She had no intention of competing in any Olympic games or other competitions involving skating.  Competitions weren't exactly her style.  Entertainment was a worthwhile bonus.  Her friends insisted she could win hundreds of gold medals before she reached retiring age.  Makoto wasn't very sure on that comment.  It sounded too far into the future. 

She went to the female changing room and found it was empty.  Two other girls her age sat on the bench, talking to each other.  Their curious heads turned round when Makoto entered the room to place her bag down.  Greeting them, she too placed her slim rear on the wooden bench and rested her head back against the wall.  She was too sleepy to pay attention to the girls' gossip that the voices became distorted and inaudible.  The door opened again and this time it was Rika herself.  Makoto thought her coach was always keen to start lessons and never wasted any minute starting.  No wonder people such as herself became skaters in less than a year.  It was down to the number of sessions you had under your coach.        

Rika asked the two girls to head to the ice rink first, leaving herself and Makoto alone.  What did she want to tell her favourite skater?

"How do you feel today? You're not sulking still, are you?" She asked.

"No I'm fine.  Hopefully I won't trip over my own blades again," Makoto assured kindly.  Rika nodded and went to the door.  Without turning her back, she added, "I heard there's another club member who will be using the rink as well."

"Really? Who?" Makoto's thin eyebrows lifted.

"A girl from Osaka.  Don't know her name yet." Rika closed the changing room door behind her.  Why do we have to share the ice rink? I thought this was only for us.  Maybe Rika didn't want to tell me yet or something Makoto took out her skating shoes from her sports bag, examining them carefully.  She couldn't help freaking out at her gear.  She had a horrible feeling something else was going to happen to her anytime in her life here.  Speaking of horrible, Makoto noticed how Rika's soft tone changed into a frowning voice when she mentioned this other club member.  What could be wrong with her? Today didn't sound too welcoming, did it?  

****

After fastening her skates on, Makoto skidded into the ice rink and twirled her body 360º.  Her arms ascended naturally and the wing followed her body's movement in perfect timing.  The other girls were busy with spiral turns and helping each other out on how to do their moves correctly.  Where was this other girl Rika mentioned about? Maybe she hadn't arrived yet.  Whoever she was, Rika didn't sound too pleased with her.  Perhaps she wanted to compete with Makoto.  But only arrogant people did that and besides she wasn't competing with anyone.  Makoto went into a forward camel and let her body balance itself.  She decided to speed up the skating as if in a sprinting competition and travelled to the other side of long rink.    

Her arms were out, releasing a flying sensation.  She could picture cheering faces in the empty seats and the non-stop sound of applause vibrated the walls in the arena.  It was a fantasy any skater in training craved to have every time they skated in front of a live audience.  She swore to herself that she wasn't imagining things too much.  The rest of the skaters in the club had the same vision as her.  They wanted to impress the judges or audience.  High-levelled points were one thing but so was entertainment.  Rika was on by the EXIT door and watched her skate freely, complimenting one of her best students.  Makoto had a lot of potential.  If she went into a competition, she'd be an instant gold medallist.  Makoto nodded her head in greeting when she saw her coach standing by.  She moved her position into a scratch spin then landed back on the ice safely.  

"That was a great scratch spin, Makoto.  Try a spiral.  Lift your leg up," Rika instructed.  Makoto's body leaned forward and her left leg pointed to the ceiling.  "Yeah, very nice.  Looks like you won't be having a longer lesson than usual.  I can see you've been practising." 

"That's not an excuse to what went wrong last night," Makoto said, placing her left leg back to the ground.  She skated gently to the edge of the rink towards Rika who had a cup of hot cappuccino in her hand.

"Makoto, what do YOU think went wrong in the show? Do you have a theory?" Rika questioned.

"I think it was a lack of concentration," She replied.  

"Nonsense.  You train twice as long as the other peoples here.  You're the hardest working skater I've coached." 

Arigato, Rika-san.  You didn't have to show your generosity to me Makoto thought she was going to cry when she heard her own coach tell her an honest opinion.  She was like everyone else talking to her.  Telling her she could win top prize all the time if she kept skating magnificently at her best.  Was this repetitive complimenting straining Makoto from her skating? Why should it? She was one of the few lucky ones to possess a natural talent in figure skating.

"Looks like this is the girl." Rika rotated her head to the side to see the new visitor in the club.  As she glanced at this female, Makoto could tell this girl was younger than she was.  She was likely to be sixteen the most.  Her hair was most certainly dyed black.  The dark shade looked so unnatural with her azure eyes and her eyebrows were thickly shaped.  

"Hi, Sakuya." Rika didn't want to lose her cool.  Not at her own club.  The girl smiled slyly and nodded to confirm the assumption.

"Hello, Rika-san." Sakuya darted her sea blue eyes to Makoto, who leant her arms over the side of the rink lazily.  "You're Kino Makoto, aren't you?"

"Yep." Swallowing the surprise of this girl's impolite tone, Makoto offered to shake her hand but Sakuya casually refused it.  Instead her smile became harsher when she spoke again.  

"I heard you messed up big time last night.  What went wrong? Did you forget to tie your shoelaces up?" Makoto couldn't believe this visitor.  She really didn't.  Nobody had been this rude to her in God know how long.  People who were verbally a pain got themselves a punch in the face by Makoto ten times out of ten.  Although it didn't sound worth doing right now and Rika wasn't stopping the bitch at all.  What was wrong with her?

"I was out of focus.  Was too confident to not pay attention to my earlier headache," Makoto kindly admitted, "for your information my shoe laces were tied up TIGHTLY." Sakuya rolled her eyes, unconcerned by the excuse this so-called superstar was giving.  If only Makoto had permission to pummel this bitch.  That would make her feel great.  She changed the subject appropriately.  "So how good are you in figure skating, Sakuya?"

"The best in Tokyo."  Sakuya flipped her shoulder length hair back as she approached the ice rink.  She didn't waste any moment in demonstrating when her blades hit the ice.  Her movements were too fast to catch up with.  Rika and Makoto thought she was a real life skating competitor by watching her.  Her posture was exact and apart from her weird attractiveness, her figure blended into the ice rink.  Makoto could see an impressive audience applaud happily at her.  Was she jealous of Sakuya? Hold on! She wasn't here to be a rival.  She was here to skate and that was it.  Who needed to be envious if you were only here to skate? Makoto walked away, ignoring Sakuya's giggles as the latter exited finally through the other side of the rink.  

"Now do you see why I'm a little uncomfortable?" Rika asked her. 

"Yeah, I do." Makoto rubbed the sweat developing on her pink coloured skin.  It looked like she had a lot of work to do.  There was no point in watching a bitch rub her sarcasm in and show she was a better skater. "I heard from the girls that the next show will involve coupled and synchronised skating."

"That's right.  The couple one shouldn't be a problem.  There are enough girls and boys to pair up," Rika added, trying to take her eyes away from the arrogant expressions forming on Sakuya's face.  Makoto frowned.  She didn't have a partner to help out in the coupled skating area.  None of the boys here could skate as fast as she could.  

"What's the matter?" Rika's face reverted to its gentler nature.

"I don't have a partner.  The boys here aren't at the same level as me.  No offence, Rika." She tapped her fingers on the wall nervously.  This was an honest fact and had nothing to do with being sexist.  The boys were great skaters at their age but the problem was that they couldn't compete with the skills and brilliance in skating as Makoto or even Sakuya.  Makoto had a little more experience and talent in this sport than the males here and it would be very hard to find a good enough skating partner.  Trowa was a tempting suggestion though he was a clown NOT a skater.  True he was a cute boy and girls would be watching his every turn and glide on the rink.  He'd be a star in no time.  But he worked in the circus, which wasn't the same as figure skating.  

"We've got two more days.  I'm sure a guy here would volunteer to be your partner," Rika assured.  Makoto rubbed her eyes; surprised by the fact meeting this other club member was making her angry and tired.  Jealousy wasn't the word to describe it.  If Sakuya wanted to compete then Makoto wouldn't have a choice in being a tough competitor.  It would be a reluctant choice.  

"Hi, is it okay for visitors to come in this time?"

Rika and Makoto were startled by the same familiar tone that had arrived.

"Well now, I didn't think you would come back," Rika said.  

"I came for a reason this time," Trowa replied deeply, "I'd like to join your club.  I overheard boys say there was going to be a coupled skating show in two days time." His green orbs gazed at Makoto's startled body.  "I'd like to be your skating partner." 

"You need at least a year's experience in skating," Rika declined immediately.  

"Oh come on, Rika.  He's got agility.  He can somersault a lot! Could be his version of a spin, you know." Makoto winked to her sceptic coach.  She jumped up onto her feet.  "Let's find some skating shoes then show us what you can do." She grabbed his thin cotton shirt's sleeve and led him towards a cupboard where the skating costumes and equipment were stocked safely.  A row of new skates sat tidily on the top shelf and Makoto moved to the side to let Trowa find the right size for his feet.  Rika kept telling her she was wasting time teaching a circus boy how to figure skate in two days.  It wouldn't be enough.  Her students usually had to have at least a year under her training.  Less than a week sounded too intense and the skater in training wouldn't have a nice upcoming start to his or her career.  

Makoto and Trowa went onto the ice rink, which Sakuya had vacated a while ago.  Trowa seemed to be in balance at the moment on his blades and that was good so far.  Balancing on blades was a wise priority.  Makoto backed away from Trowa to see his full figure standing alone.  

"Rika, play a bit of music please," She yelled.  Jazz tunes came to life in the ceiling's speakers at her command.  "OK, Trowa.  Just show me what you know about skating.  Do whatever move you want.  We'll correct your style later on."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Trowa queried.  

"Gee don't question me, silly.  Just twirl around or something.  No-one's watching."

Obediently, Trowa did as he was told and decided to treat this place as the circus.  Imagine you're about to jump on top of a lion and land safely.  That sounded like a start.  He bent the blades inwards and started to form into a scratch spin.  His twisting body reached a higher level in the air than most skaters would aim for in this spin.  He was agile for a good reason.  Continuing to spin, he crouched into a sitting position then smoothly went back to his normal full figure posture and slowed himself down to bow.  Makoto knew she was gaping as she watched.  All she could say was 'WOW.' Rika clapped her hands loudly to show how impressed she was.  Who would have thought a circus clown could skate on the same level as Makoto?  

"Trowa, you are GOOD," Makoto said excitedly.  

"Did you like what I did?" he asked, smiling timidly.

"Of course I did.  Hey, Rika, we better start training.  Trowa is joining me."

"Oh you're *both* going to be a hit.  I can see the stars shimmer in the audience's faces," Rika almost squealed like a baby girl.  

Hmm…we'll see who is the best in Tokyo.  Kino Makoto, watch out.  You'll only be second best while I'll be at the top.  I never lose! Sakuya warned as she observed the two skaters talking to each other in the middle of the ice rink, looking down from the top row in the arena That boy wasn't going to help Makoto beat her.  There was no way.  She knew she was going to be a better skater in two days time.  She would guarantee it with her life.    

TBC.       


	4. ch 4

Tears of Success 4 

****

For four hours Makoto had been teaching Trowa some of the stylish spins and rotational jumps she specialised in or ones she thought were her favourites.  Rika still couldn't believe what natural ability Trowa had, let alone how flexible he was.  Seemed he had many skills as an acrobatic circus clown.  Even though there were two days left till the club's next show, Rika was already feeling confident that Makoto would be more than just okay.  She didn't have to train Trowa on every movement most beginners had to try out first.  God he was too good.  Rika could see him woo the female crowd with his flying camel and backward spirals all over the ice rink.  He had the figure, the looks and the talent.  It was perfect.  Mix him and Makoto together and you'd get one great figure skating couple.  

Well that was one problem solved for Rika's student.  The second problem laid in a particular somebody.  Rika knew Sakuya would be bad news for Makoto the minute she walked into the arena.  She could see the vanity in those eyes and beneath the deeply dyed black hair.  The club she was from also had a reputation on cheating in figure skating competitions, hence it lead to most of the skaters from the club to be banned from taking part in any sports games or tournaments.  But that news headline was two years ago and unfortunately the club were given permission to take part in any figure skating shows two years later as part of their result through disciplinary training.

In Rika's opinion that Osaka club only created vain girls, arrogant boys and a bunch of cheaters.  How could they let Sakuya just take over in her ice rink? She didn't have the power to stop this girl from causing more anger among the club.  She couldn't understand the Government's decision to re-open the doors to the Osaka skating club.  They had a filthy name and nobody cared.  Just now when the younger skaters arrived from school, Rika saw the male skaters drool crazily over Sakuya when she passed them.  

Like Makoto kindly said, she had the looks of a typical slut.  Seeing this girl did make Makoto train harder and practise more.  She was nowhere near the level of jealousy.  That would ruin her chances of having a great performance.  It would be part of distraction.  Rika prayed that Makoto wouldn't lose her cool if Sakuya intended to annoy her again.

****  

The portable hi-fi was up at full volume as Trowa and Makoto skated away freely to the beat.  Makoto thought it would best for him to try synchronised skating first before moving on to the paired movements.  She looked at him from the corner of her eye, noticing how focused he was on getting the moves right.  He could almost be as good as her if he continued to skate wonderfully.  His body curved and straightened smoothly and stretching his arms out made him appear like he was a white swan flapping its wings in the sea.   

"Trowa, seriously…you are too cool." Makoto was breathless while watching him move gracefully.  He stopped twirling and slowly gazed at her.  "It took me a while to skate in the same way as you.  At least four months.  How embarrassing."

"Does it worry you that I might be better than you when this training ends?" Trowa asked.  

She shook her head, "Of course not.  Man, I'm half happy and half thrilled to have you here.  I knew there was something good about you, Trowa." Makoto covered her mouth when she discovered how far she was going in complimenting.  It was nice to compliment the clown but it would embarrass her more if she rambled on about how good looking he was, especially when he was dressed up as a clown.  Whenever she went to see the circus, she always saw Trowa in the centre of the stage.  His mask hiding half his face as if concealing a mystery he didn't want to show people. 

Occasionally Catherine was the main act whenever Makoto bought a ticket to the show but then she was spending more money on the circus to see a new face come around.  A clown.  A gorgeous, quiet clown who had a long fringe that also acted like a mask.  He rarely smiled in performance.  He just got on with the show and zoomed away in his flashy stunts.  Makoto had been dying to talk to him backstage to find out who the heck he was.  However with what went on last year with the mobile suit war, it was impossible to find him.  He'd probably be hiding like she was.  War wasn't a nice thing to live through.  Makoto couldn't help being drawn to him from her usual seat in the middle row, which was where she often sat whenever she visited the circus.  Beyond his sweet exterior, she found he was mysterious and wanted to learn more about him.  But here he was, skating with her and talking normally (sort of).

"Your friends." Trowa pointed to the three female skaters waving their hands in the front row.  Makoto could see their smiles from afar.  

"Hey, don't overload my hi-fi, ok?" Mia warned, half humorously.  

"Don't worry, we're taking a break," Makoto replied and turned off the hi-fi.  She zoomed into the front row to pass the heated hi-fi back to Mia, who pulled her in to whisper in a gossiping voice.

"Your partner isn't bad looking," Mia said cheekily, "how did you get a clown to skate stylishly? What's the secret?" Her friends Nancy and Naoko grinned.

"There is no secret," Makoto summarised, watching Trowa skate lightly on his own.  It was uncommon to find anyone who could skate excellently in his first training session without coaching.  She caught Mia and her friends becoming wide-eyed with interest.  "Hey watch your hormones!! You've got your boys to practise skating with and I've got mine." She stuck her tongue out and winked.  Mia teasingly slapped Makoto's arm.  "HEY!"

"Girls, don't distract Makoto," Rika stated.  

"See you later, Makoto.  Have fun." Nancy waved with Mia and Naoko, their tiny figures disappearing through the exit.  Rika tapped her wrists to notify her it was time to have a break.  Makoto nudged her head sideways to Trowa, gesturing him the same thing.  They then walked to the vending machine to grab fizzy drinks.  Sakuya's determined features clouded Makoto's mind suddenly when she tried to open her cola can.  If only this nasty girl was nicer.  Rika had told her she came from a badly named skating club, which could explain the bitchiness Sakuya was giving off directly to Makoto.  If she didn't control her arrogance, she'd probably not have any friends to talk to here.  Mia wouldn't dare go near Sakuya.  She, Naoko and Nancy were too kind to be with her.  

"Something is troubling you," Trowa noticed precisely. "Is it me?" Her face turned into a shocking white straight away from his suspicion.  Was it him? Absolutely not.  She didn't expect to blush a little when he said that.  

"Who said you were a problem?" Makoto answered and took a huge sip from her opened cola can. "Sakuya is from another club.  Total bitch is her name.  Who the hell does she think she is, coming into my club to skate? Her club must have asked her to come to make our lives harder so we have to work harder to compete.  No one is here to compete dammit." Her fingers squeezed the aluminium can stiffly while she spoke.  She didn't care where the coke landed on the carpet.  Tiny parts of her anger were flurrying out of control in her tone.  It had been a while since anyone made her mad.  And she didn't want to lose her temper miserably because of one girl who had a rude attitude.

"We should start trying out the couple routines.  It's the same as ballroom dancing," Makoto added.  She slapped her cheeks hard as if being punished by a parent.  A long exhalation didn't improve her depression either while she stood by the vending machine in a broody stance.  "Trowa, sorry I'm acting like this.  I can't help being frustrated.  It's killing my brain cells…and I'm the one teaching you how to be a skater.  *I* should be the one helping people.  People rely on me!" She started to cry silently and the tears filled her vision into a blurry world.  She didn't sniff loudly.  Only tears fell down to touch the edges of her lips, tasting salty on the tongue.  Trowa's finger lifted the third pair of tears dripping from her eyes and wiped them away swiftly.

"Apologising isn't necessary.  Do you feel better, now that you've cried?" His emerald orbs no longer seemed distant.  They became softer and concerned.  Makoto nodded agreeably.  "Let's get on with the couple skating." He clutched her right hand and they both returned to the ice rink where more students were practising their routines on various sides.  Sakuya was seen in the arena seats rather than the ice rink.  Why would she be watching? Did she think she was good enough?  Makoto saw one girl shout at her partner because he was looking at Sakuya every minute.  What a flirt she was turning out to be.  Her darkly glares wouldn't leave Makoto alone.  Even when Trowa was in the way, she still could stare through him.  

"Trowa, you do know how to dance, don't you?"

"Well…not exactly," He admitted honestly.  She grabbed his hands then held them apart from his chest then instructed, "Follow my lead, ok?" Soon Trowa found he was skating in the same direction and rhythm as Makoto.  

"I'm gonna go into a spin.  Catch me when I'm finished." Her voice sounded like a tape recorder giving instructions.  She went into a full twirl then straightened herself to finish the move.  Trowa's hands balanced her round the hips.  Her face automatically pivoted in his direction and her hands grabbed onto his shoulders.  Their gazes locked on to each other.  

"That was a good reaction, Trowa.  Now pull me in using your arms while I repeat the same move." Makoto twirled again until her hand met Trowa's fiddling fingers.  He continued to let her twist in circles and gently glided her towards him.  As she came into his arms, her hands touched his shirt in a lightweight.  Was she teaching him correctly? He didn't seem to find this a problem so she guessed it was a good sign so far.  

"Is this okay?" Trowa referred to her hand position on his upper torso.  She didn't realise she was touching him very closely to her own figure.  She wasn't used to skating with a partner.  It was a rare style of hers.  Most of the time she would skate individually.  Rubbing off a shy blush, she nodded in reply.  

"I guess this is what skating partners have to do," She said.  Her face reddened more when she felt every single pair of eyes flow towards her and Trowa.    Sakuya covered her laughter as she sat in her seat.  Makoto had unexpectedly found her imagination go over the top when she visualised Sakuya being the victim of vicious rumours when a boy said, "Makoto, you're natural.  You and Trowa are gonna be the top stars at the show," A boy complimented.    

"Also you make one sweet couple," Naoko added, giggling, "Everyone agrees.  Don't deny it."  Trowa and Makoto exchanged puzzled glances then turned away to hide their hold back their blushes.  How more embarrassing was this? Rika proudly observed the filled up ice rink of hopeful skaters.  She could trust them well enough to create one spectacular performance.  Trowa and Makoto stuck out of the crowd distinctively.  It was true what everyone said.  They looked like a typical figure skating duo.  Young, beautiful and held a fantastic talent.  

Rika could easily spot the smug expressions Sakuya was expressing from a distance.  She was probably saying what a loser Makoto was or how boring her moves were compared to her own.  As far as Rika was concerned, she wasn't letting anyone make a mess of her club.  She thought it would best to pay a visit to the Osaka club for an hour.  See what they did over there.  If Sakuya dared ruin her show, Rika was going to give her one hell of a catfight.  Nobody messed with Rika's favourite skaters and got away with it.

****

Time had passed so quickly that no one in the club noticed it was the end of the day.  The showers' steam spread through the changing rooms and the temperature soared up.  Makoto thought it was a tough day today while she dried her hair in her towel.  She and Trowa WERE a team.  They could truly capture the audience's excitement in a synchronised technique.  Makoto didn't know how many moves Trowa had learnt today.  Maybe more than twenty turns and jumps.  He showed he didn't mind learning how to figure skate, which was important in a skater's personality.  It was important in any sport you decided to take up.  You have to have an interest in it all the way through.  It would be worth it in the end, wouldn't it?         

Trowa was outside the girls' changing room, much to Makoto's shock when she found him very near to the door.  She could scold him for being a pervert though somehow he didn't seem to be like that.  

"Why don't you come to the circus tent for a while?" Trowa suggested.  Makoto was speechless but then replied a quick 'ok' to respond.  Besides, they would be seeing each other again all day tomorrow to go through their couple and synchronised skating routines.  

TBC.  


	5. ch 5

Tears of Success 5

****

Makoto found the circus tent stranger when she entered through the back rather than the main entrance.  The animals growled silently but in a gentle sound when Trowa stopped by their cages.  The crouching lion lifted his head up as the well-known Doukeshi stroked his mane.  Wow, he was very good with the animals.  The lions were definitely fond of him.  Makoto forced herself not to get too amazed at the tameness the animals were showing to their human friend.  She didn't want the animals to think that as she was the new visitor, she would be somewhat a weirdo and easily intimidated by their ferocious appearance.  She'd be making more enemies along with *her* around ('Her' meaning Sakuya).  Usagi would most certainly scream and hide behind Mamoru if she saw how fierce-looking these wild animals were.  

Trowa's closed lips curled lightly into a gentle smile when he saw the satisfaction the lion had revealed to his master.  

"There, there.  You like that, huh?" he laughed. "Hey, guess what? I've brought a new friend here.  Her name is Makoto." His head pointed in the other direction and indicated to the stationary girl standing two feet back from him.  "It's okay, they won't bite you.  They trust me."

"I'll say," Makoto hesitantly said, bending next to him and getting a nearer view of the golden brown skin the lion's fur displayed.  She assumed Trowa was letting her stroke the lion as they both looked at the animal in silence.  Her right hand jerked in the air worriedly when it reached past the metallic bars and touched the outer fur strand sticking out from the lion's body.  She expected a loud growl or a quick bite to the wrist to come in a minute.  She swallowed a dose of apprehension in her throat.  Alternatively neither one of these two predictions came true.  Instead Makoto found the lion was purring and relaxing deeper in its sleepy position.  She continued to stroke the lower torso, admiring the softness the fur felt in her fingers.  

Sweat trickled down the right side of her face and she flashed an uneasy smile to Trowa.  Confident the lion wouldn't attack her anytime, she tickled the its chin roughly, which seemed to make the beast laugh – if you could call the tiny growl a real laugh that is.  Makoto giggled suddenly.  This was good.  The lion liked her.  

"See, I told you the animals were nice," Trowa said, "The lion knows you're a good person." Makoto shyly nodded.  God, how long had it been since she was this timid? Was it okay to be a little shy with a boy? As far as she could see, Makoto was aware the boys at the skating club loved girls who had curves and a body to die for.  They all agreed Makoto was in those categories but perfecting her skating moves was the first priority.  She thought the boys were great as friends and nothing more.  Plus the fact that they were a bunch of teenagers who hadn't understood what maturity was meant to be.  Their hormones weren't in control in their adolescent system.  

On the one hand, Trowa was the same age as her.  And she wasn't sure how they were together.  She didn't want this so-called infatuation to be the final result and so far they treated each other as friends or skating partners.  The latter was most important for the both of them.  It would be safer to stay that way until the next show in two days time.  She refused to believe it would be love at first sight when she saw him as a clown a year ago while watching among the audience.  Trowa had an unusual aura around him when he was on the stage.  He never smiled or said a word but did have the manners to bow when his act was over.  Makoto couldn't help liking the feel of Trowa's mystery.  He obviously stuck out of the circus.  Could she learn more about him now that he was her skating partner? This was like spending a day with an idol.  

Trowa may have not discovered he was an idol among the female crowd in the circus and would be likely to treat Makoto as if she was a friend and not a fan of him.  Being a friend of a cute Doukeshi seemed to be more appropriate for Makoto than being a simple female fanatic.  Any girl who saw her with Trowa would definitely take a dislike to the lucky companion and start sending her hate mail, calling her a bitch or whore.  That wouldn't be a surprise to Makoto.  In fact, she wouldn't care who hated her for being Trowa's companion.  She'd probably go search for the jealous girl and give her a telling off.  Or even a swift bitch slap to shut her up.    

Catherine pulled back the curtain when she found Trowa and Makoto kneeling side by side in front of a lion's cage.  Trowa, you're a lucky guy to fall in love with a girl like that She thought confidently while feeding the elephants on the other side of the room.  Trowa recognised Catherine's presence and turned around to say hi to her.  

"Hiya Cathy, the lion likes Makoto already.  Amazing, isn't it?" He commented.

"The same thing happened when you first came too, Trowa," Catherine remembered back in those days when Trowa wanted to join the circus for the first time.  "Looks like you two have a good connection to animals." She winked.  Makoto hid her face when she noticed how hot her skin was becoming.  Darn it, why couldn't she stop blushing whenever someone complimented her and Trowa altogether? Maybe they did have something in common.  Makoto wasn't a fond person of animals and it was just luck that came to her rescue when she stroked the lion.  

"It's really nice to meet you in person, Catherine Bloom," She said, grinning, "The boys at my club have one heck of a crush on you.  They can't stop talking about you each day when we have skating lessons."

Catherine's eyes enlarged interestingly, "Do the girls talk about Trowa by any chance?" The clown's face frowned at this nosy question.

"Oh uh sure they do." Makoto sweat-dropped.  Any girl would want to spend a day talking to Trowa.  He was a sweet boy.  Catherine looked at Trowa as if to say 'I told you so'.  Makoto's pager beeped noisily to startle her.  She looked at the tiny screen and immediately knew it was Rika.  The message simply said, 'Rink is empty.  Main key is in changing room.  Lock up later.' Did this mean everyone was gone and that Makoto could use the ice rink in secret? What would the others say when they find out Rika was being super nice to her favourite skater by allowing her to practise all night? 

Makoto received another message soon after and found out it was the same sender.  This time she wrote she was going to Osaka to pay a visit to the local skating club to find something out.  That could only mean one thing.  She wanted to know why Sakuya was walking around THEIR club rink and pissing Makoto off.  Was it permitted for her to come practise somewhere else? 

"So Trowa, how's your practise going?" Catherine asked him, "What kind of new moves did you learn?"

"We've gone over the best spins and jumps," Trowa replied, "We just have to test our planned sequences to see if it works.  Skating is quite the same as doing acrobats here."

"Yeah I can imagine you doing ten circles in the air," Catherine laughed.  Makoto came back from hiding in the corner of the circus to interrupt their conversation.

"Rika sent me a message on my pager," She explained, "we can use the ice rink for ourselves to practise our moves."

"Wow, Rika is some coach," Catherine impressively said.  

"She's like my sister," Makoto grinned largely then grabbed Trowa's hand, "let's go back to the rink and start rehearsing.  See you later, Catherine." The pair of amateur skaters exited through the backdoor, leading out to the evening air.  Good Luck to you both Catherine said after they left.  

****

With their boots securely tightened and no one to distract them, Makoto and Trowa decided to start their practise by synchronised gliding.  It was hard to imagine how they both could easily get into the same rhythm simultaneously in so little time.  Their spins clearly matched in perfect timing and their technique was beyond exact.  Who needed a celebrity male skater when Makoto had Trowa? He was naturally gifted in acrobatics.  Makoto skated slowly opposite Trowa in the same pace, their gaze watching each other carefully.  

Trowa reminded his inner self to keep his eyes in contact with her.  He was beginning to understand why people enjoyed figure skating.  It included such grace and delicate moving at the start then as the tension in the show thickens, the movements become harder and more exciting for the audience.  Skaters are out there to impress the sparkling faces.  Trowa could impress the children as a clown so it shouldn't be a problem for him to make people gasp in amazement when he and Makoto skate together in the upcoming show.                         

Trowa didn't have problems picking up the difficult turns and jumps used in pair skating, which of course made Makoto shocked as well as happy.  She mentioned how rarely men were able to master the hardest skills in figure skating in very few days.  Normally it would take them months or years.  Maybe it was Makoto's influence from Rika's teaching, which had allowed her to teach fast.  Trowa watched her demonstrate a curl camel flexibly.  Her right leg bent behind so that her left hand touched the sole of her left foot.  She instructed Trowa to do the same technique and follow her spin.  This wasn't hard for him as he bent his right leg backward.

"Makoto?" he called while they spun.  

"Uh-huh," She responded.  Her voice sounded dizzy while she spun around.  "What is it? Make it quick." 

"Why don't we include some lifts? I mean, I've seen men lift their partners into the air and I think I can do the same," Trowa suggested suitably, which stopped Makoto's body spinning and face went into a common façade of awe.  

Her arms spread out from her chest, "Are you serious? I weigh a lot.  You'll drop me in a second."

"Try me," He beckoned.  

"OK then.  We'll have a go at a waltz lift.  I'll skate to your right hand side, put your right hand under my left armpit to assist the lift and as I move forward, we have to bend our knees at the same time.  Otherwise my jump won't work.  Got it?" She looked at him quizzically.  He nodded then gestured with his hands to say he was ready.  As mentioned, Makoto skated to his right hand side and his hand supported her hip to start things off.  His gentle touch was something Makoto was enjoying as well as being used to in the last twenty-four hours with him.  So what if it had only been one day of lessons.  She felt like she knew him already and it was wonderful.  His hand moved to her left armpit during the fast momentum and their knees bent together at once.  

"I'm gonna do a waltz jump right now.  Lift me straight in the air using your legs and arms," She said as she jumped in front of him before pushing herself into the air.  Her left hand pressed on his right shoulder and held his right hand tightly.  Trowa understood this involved opposing forces.  While she pushed down on his shoulder, he had to lift her body up to conclude the lift.  Makoto could view the arena at a higher level while her body reached into the air.  Trowa found her weight was indeed very light.  Lighter than a lion cub at the circus.  He didn't seem to be tired from lifting her up either.  He continued to lift Makoto in the air as he skated slowly through the rink.  

Makoto wanted to scream out loud in happiness at this position.  She couldn't believe how much of a genius Trowa was as her partner.  

"How is this?" Trowa asked distantly.  

"This is definitely correct!! Ohmigod.  Wait till Rika sees this," Makoto exclaimed.  This meant he could do a tabletop lift as well.  "Trowa, I think it's safe for us to try a tabletop lift."

"How do we start that one off?" He questioned, dropping her back onto her feet normally.  

"Lift me up as if I'm a box.  My body will be in a horizontal position and you'll have to hold me by the hips," She almost caught her tongue in a twist as she explained about this.  The last time she saw Mia do this with her partner, he dropped her accidentally and she ended up having a big bruise on her forehead.  Thank goodness that was a practise session or else the audience would leave straightway.  Hopefully the same accident wouldn't happen to her.  Trowa placed his hands on her hips as they stood at arms width.  

"OK…" She was about to say lift me up but he was already ascending her light body into the air.  She slowly leaned forward as if in a swimming pool and bent her right foot inward into a curve.  Her arms spread out like wings to complete her impressive pose.  Trowa obeyed her command to bring her back down to the ground.  "Do these lifts hurt you?" Her face grimaced worriedly.

"Why shouldn't it? I don't feel pain," He assured.  His muscles tensed up all of a sudden when he realised she moved in to hug him compactly and twirled them both around on their skates.  She squealed happily while they moved in circles.

"Oh god!!! Trowa, you're the greatest.  You really are.  We're gonna wipe the audience's feet off their seats." All of the inner excitement had risen from her body in one big blast.  She had to release it.  She just had to.  Trowa was glad to see her happy and grinned. "I can't thank you enough for volunteering as my partner." She felt herself going into a blush spontaneously and pulled back from the hug to look at Trowa face to face.  She nearly forgot her arms were still wrapped round his neck and their faces were adjacent.  It was tempting to say this would be set as their final pose to end their performance as they listen to the audience applaud.  But Makoto knew this would be an excuse to brush off the action going on between them.  She moved his long fringe away to see the rest of his face.  Stern and emotionless he may be, she couldn't stop admiring how cute he was.  Her fingers caressed his smooth skin.  She knew what would happen next and wanted to get this over and done with while she had the chance.  

Makoto's left hand pressed gently against Trowa's right-sided cheek and pulled herself forward.  Trowa was uncertain on what to do and let her do as she pleased.  Her lips brushed his and their eyes closed on impact.  

"Makoto, I…" Trowa pulled away from the close lip contact.  "I'm sorry.  This isn't right."

"Yeah," She tried her best not to show her disappointment, "you're right.  I got carried away.  The lifting techniques were great.  Come on, I'll go find the key in the changing room." She sprinted away on the ice towards the edge of the rink to reach the carpeted ground.  Her pace becoming faster than Trowa's.  How could she fool herself into believing she'd get to kiss him for real? This strange attraction she had developed was driving her mad.  He may not like her at all and would see her as only a friend.  

"Um Trowa?" She beckoned to him nervously.

"Yeah?" he answered expectedly.  She turned on her heels and as fast as she could, kissed him fully, holding onto his arms.  She didn't care if he wanted this or not, she wanted to feel his lips on hers.  Just for one day or one minute.  She couldn't hold back her resistance.  God, how annoying were hormones? Trowa was startled by this immediate comeback in her.  He couldn't move his arms or body.  His mouth burned on the outside when she voluntarily pulled herself from him.  

"See you in a minute," Makoto's tone changed more cheerily, her voice clearly saying she completed her mission.  Talk about a fast change in behaviour.  Trowa didn't know what was going on between them.  As far as he could see, they were still skating partners – that was for sure.

TBC. 


	6. ch 6

Tears of Success 6

****

Makoto spread her fingers all over the bench in hope of finding a metallic object that would be held responsible for locking the front door in the arena.  Unfortunately Rika's message on the pager wasn't enough to tell her where the exact place she had put the key, making it harder for Makoto to search.  All Rika said was 'main key is in changing room.' Yeah great! But where? Clearly it was nowhere on top of the benches where people's butts firmly sat on heavily.  Makoto had been looking on the benches' surfaces over four times and had walked round the entire changing room, which was very small in size thank goodness.  

It wouldn't be possible that Rika had hidden the key in the showers, would it? No!! Rika had a bigger brain than that.  Only stupid people would hide something valuable in obvious places.  Why did Makoto's coach have to hide a precious item in a hard place? Well this rink was part of their skating club and maybe Rika thought this belonged to an inner part of herself.  Makoto would think the same thing.  She would end up returning to her apartment after midnight after finishing long skating sessions here.  She was always the one to stay behind from everyone else.  Not many youngsters would dedicate their lifestyle to perfect themselves in a sport.  If she had parents living presently, Makoto would be in trouble for staying out late.  However…there wasn't anyone to boss her about because of her late night outs.  Her current family consisted of four other girls, who were happy enough to continue studying till twenty-one or more.  

Makoto was glad her friends had something good to do.  *Her* path wasn't connected to studying books or writing essays.  It dealt with physical training and mind creativity.  Minako suggested it would be a nice idea to start a career in figure skating.  Everyone knew Makoto loved figure skating and was one of the best skaters in Juuban.  Nobody could compete with her brilliant style.  Or could they? Seeing Sakuya look like a competitive rival made Makoto growl angrily while she walked back and forth in the changing room to find the main key It's not as though she's a threat to the show.  I've trained hard enough with Trowa.  As long as she isn't being a pain then everything should go smoothly.  

No! Things WILL go smoothly.  Her mind corrected immediately.  Look for the key and stop worrying about her Makoto knelt down.  As much as she hated the dust and dirty ants crawling about, Makoto had to no choice in looking underneath the benches.  This was a possible hiding place for objects and it was worth a try.  Her eyes were becoming tired from looking and she had to constantly rub them to keep her senses awake.  Makoto reached her right hand towards the end of the wall and grabbed the medium sized key sitting in the back.  That was Mission no two done.  

Wiping the dust off, Makoto stared at the key then shoved it into her pocket as if valuable treasure.  Now that that was done, she could relax her mind on other things – like memorising the routines with Trowa.  She suddenly smiled while exhaling her breath.  Just picturing him was twice as better than thinking about this Sakuya girl.  She couldn't resist kissing the shy clown a minute ago.  It felt amazing to feel his hair.  So soft! But Trowa did say this whole love thing wasn't right for the both of them.  Now this sad comment made Makoto pout and sag her shoulders disappointingly in a fast reaction.  Was Trowa frightened of having a girlfriend? Did someone he love pass away in his life? Maybe it wouldn't be nice to ask him too many personal questions.  If he wanted to be friends that was fine.  The kiss was just an experiment, right? She wondered what he thought about her kissing him in the last minute.  

Makoto found herself cheering up a whole lot more as she walked out of the changing room.  Trowa's torso was unbelievably erect and his face was in a solemn frown.

"She hid the key in a very good place," Makoto said simply, "We'll practise again tomorrow.  I'm confident we'll do okay." She saw he wasn't listening to each word she mentioned and his face wasn't exactly looking into hers.  She waved her hand across his eyes.  "Trowa, what's up?"

"God, you are BLIND!" a recognisable tone voiced behind. 

'What the hell?' was printed all over Makoto's face when she turned her head round to stare at Sakuya, who proudly tapped her fingers on her crossed arms and walked towards Makoto in a sort of predator walk.  Her sea blue eyes looked at the startled brunette up and down interestingly then switched her glance to the young, quiet boy.  She had a smug that could easily be wiped off by one simple punch to the chin.  Ooh yes Makoto was seeing the girl bleed from her lips. 

"What are you doing here?" Makoto demanded.

"Well what are you and the clown boy doing here at eight o'clock in the evening? You should be at home doing homework.  Tsk-tsk." Sakuya wagged her fingers warningly like a mother lecturing her infant child.  Makoto shook her head, ignoring the mockery Sakuya was pulling off horribly.  And this girl had the nerve to call Trowa clown boy in such a rude tone.  The temptation to punch Sakuya hard on the cheek had begun to grow rapidly in Makoto's veins.

"I don't study anymore.  I graduated from school last summer.  I'm eighteen," Makoto corrected.

"Ooh, going on about maturity now, are we?"

"What the hell is your problem, girl? I barely know you and here you are bitching me about competitive stuff." Makoto's fists tightened.  Ok this girl was begging to be hit. "I have told you already! This isn't a competition to win gold medals.  This is just a show for entertaining the audience.  Nothing more than that!" Trowa pulled her back by the right shoulder, attempting to calm her down but she refused to be helped.  "Trowa, I can handle this.  She's my problem." 

Sakuya watched the pair ease each other out with their own words.  These two were such losers.  So sweet and…so disgusting to look at.  That boy could be her partner and they would be the best act of the show.  Medal or no medal, she wanted to be the best.  She hated hearing Makoto's name jump up in every amateur skater's conversations.  People kept saying how Makoto's forward camels were perfect or how magnificent her layback spins looked under the spotlight.  For once, why couldn't people look at Sakuya? She was the best in the Osaka club and most of passers-by believed she could be as good as Kino Makoto.  So here she was in Juuban, face to face with this celebrity.    

Sakuya had been so deep in cursing that she didn't see Trowa calm Makoto down properly and now she was behind him as he stood up front to talk to Sakuya.  

"Did you get authorised permission to visit this club?" He asked.

"Like duh! My coach said this rink had the best feel of ice," Sakuya spat in response, "plus I heard this club was hosting a new show in two days time.  This is why I'm here.  To promote myself." She arrogantly flicked her black hair off her shoulders.  "Look clown boy…" 

"His name is Trowa NOT clown boy," Makoto growled, gritting her teeth closely.  

Sakuya rolled her eyes then looked back at Trowa, "I'm talking to him and you're not so shut up!" Makoto immediately silenced, resisting yet another punching temptation.  

Sakuya went on, "Like I said, you and I could be partners.  You don't need a stupid person like her." She stepped closer to him till she was very adjacent to his chest.  Almost so close that he could feel her fingers poke his stomach.  Trowa could sense Makoto's eyes glare through his back to the other female.  He pushed Sakuya away from him roughly.

"Makoto and I are happy as we are," His voice may have sounded low but it was definitely anger he was giving off.  

"Fine," She briefly answered, clearly annoyed from losing this argument, "be that way.  You're gonna have one bad show.  I've practised hard *already* and I *will* be the star.  Just you wait." She stormed off down the hallway without saying anymore threats.  When she was out of sight from the sports arena, she took one last peek inside before leaving.  If she was going to be the star, she would do things the hard way.  Just like at her club.  Nobody could hear her insane giggles in the night as she walked down the streets.    

****

No wonder Trowa was frowning Makoto thought, sighing loudly.  She flinched unexpectedly when Trowa snapped her out of her trance by patting her shoulders.

"Don't let her get to you," He reassured kindly, "she's only jealous."

Makoto let out a sudden laughter when he said that, "Any girl would envy me when I'm with you.  But she's different.  She wants to be the best in the show." 

Trowa noticed how Makoto's whole figure bent inwards as she stood stationary and allowed her worries to lash out by themselves.  He knew she wanted to cry but refused to show it again.  Poor girl.  She was having one hell of a week.  First she made a mess of her last performance and now someone else had come to ruin her inspiration to skate in front of the audience.  Trowa really wondered if he was the cause for her troubles.  However she did tell him there was nothing wrong with him.  He was a safe person.  Someone she could trust as a partner.  It may have been a week since they first met and started skating yet it almost felt longer.  Like a year had passed between them.  

Why did this have to happen to her? Why did some bitch have to make her life hell? Was she an enemy? Makoto's fingers stroked her ponytail end in bitterness as she looked at her feet.  She hoped Rika would find something out about Sakuya's club tomorrow and inform her of this investigation.  She wanted something negative to come out from this Osaka club.  Her pager bleeped its alarm out of the blue.  Talk about coincidence.  Either that or Rika was a psychic who could read her mind from a distance.  

Makoto stared at the tiny pager screen and read, "Osaka club doesn't exist anymore.  Owner is in hospital."

"Do you think Sakuya is the reason?" Trowa queried.  

"It's a guarantee," She replied, shoving the pager back in her pocket.  A strange ringing sound echoed down the hall.  But it wasn't from her pager, it was coming from the phone in Rika's office.  It was surprising to see her office was still open at this night.  Maybe she forgot to lock up before heading off to Osaka an hour ago.  Rika's office wasn't too far from the changing rooms, hence it was a short walk for Makoto and Trowa to pursue.  Makoto found the office very deserted without any furniture –except a table and one cordless phone.  The answer machine was about to kick in after the bleep but Trowa picked up the handset in time to pass to Makoto.   It was true what Catherine said earlier.  Rika was one hell of a coach.  She acted more like a private investigator rather than a figure skating coach.  

"Rika, I got your message," Makoto answered, "what do you mean by 'Osaka club doesn't exist'?"

"It's closed completely," Rika explained.  It definitely sounded like she was using a hand phone because her voice kept breaking up briefly each minute, "I didn't find anyone there.  But I saw a sign saying the owner was staying in the hospital for two months.  Got his name and met him in person.  And my god Makoto he looks a mess."

"Really?" Makoto became suspicious and her green eyes widened towards Trowa's direction.

"Uh-huh.  He told me everything.  I was right all along.  Rika has no legal permission to be at our club.  She's here for the hell of it and she's bad news."

"What's Rika saying?" Trowa mouthed his question mutely.  Makoto raised her hand to him, gesturing him to wait.

"The club owner isn't the only one in the hospital bed." Rika's voice lowered seriously, "Everyone says Sakuya is crazy and greedy.  She'd do anything to be top. Some of the other skaters have had to undergo real surgery to fix their faces." Makoto's mouth opened widely when she heard this.  Was Sakuya a murderer? 

TBC. 


	7. ch 7

Tears of Success 7

****

"Rika, surely Sakuya isn't that mad, is she?" Makoto was doing her best not to picture innocent faces being battered or scarred brutally by various hospital tools while her hand clasped with sweat around the phone.  Was it true that Sakuya had an insanity people were afraid of? What kind of night was this turning out to be? Makoto and Trowa had just spoken to the girl not long ago.  Hell she was really in a vicious mood, which certainly angered and surprised Makoto altogether.  She didn't want to start a real girlie fight with Sakuya.  It wouldn't feel right and it would be pointless to let her temper fly loose at a time like this.  Rika would possibly think of her favourite student in another way.  She'd think Makoto was madder than Sakuya.  

Since Makoto was an occasional student at the club, she never spoke about her earlier schooldays.  Who would want to know that a favourite skater in Juuban was in fact a truly aggressive girl? She hadn't had the need to punch or warn anyone about causing trouble for so long when joining.  She actually thought she would be a normal girl who was respected by everybody in the club and wouldn't have to use physical aggression to shut people up.  It felt great to not have to fight pointlessly with someone – until recently this week.  When Sakuya suddenly appeared here.  Makoto's fighting instinct was slowly making its way back into her.  She'd know for sure that the rest of the club would be very afraid of her if they saw her fighting someone roughly.    

If she could get two slaps or two punches in Sakuya's face a day before the next skating performance then that would satisfying enough.

"I called the police.  They've put Sakuya on their wanted list," Rika's serious voice destroyed the daydream Makoto was putting herself into.

"Good idea," she said. "We can't let Sakuya hurt anyone here either." If she did want to injure innocent people she would regret it soon enough once Makoto gave HER a facial surgery.

"Do you know where she is now?" Rika asked.  

"No.  Just left.  But from looking at her face, I know she has something planned later.  She tried to ask Trowa to be her partner.  What a loser!" Makoto noticed how her voice had altered to a more babyish tone.  Like she was a young schoolgirl defending her school crush against another girl she despised.  She saw Trowa give her an impassive look as she spoke on the phone.  Although he didn't smile or frown, she was sure he found her strange talking like that so she relaxed her voice rapidly.  

Rika added, "It's a guarantee she'll come tomorrow to practise her skating techniques.  The police will be there in the morning to take care of everything.  Don't worry about her anymore, ok? Just keep skating with Trowa until then." Makoto sometimes wondered if Rika was trying to be a parental figure to her, assuring her that life will get better.  But Makoto couldn't help feeling bad more deeply, knowing this wasn't going to be easy.  Rika's explanation sounded too predictable.  Too obvious.  Sakuya was sure to find out the police were looking for her.  She'd probably run off to the town centre and hide somewhere unnoticed.  She wasn't that stupid, was she? Makoto had to be on her guard the next time she spotted Sakuya making her day a misery with her competitive talking.   As soon as Rika hung up, she slammed the phone back on the phone set.  

Makoto dropped her head backwards while she leant her back to the table, sighing loudly.  Her neck was starting to ache.  It was aching from the stress and trouble she was going through these days.  She yawned unexpectedly and quickly lunged forward when her eyes closed.  It was almost like she was about to collapse.  

"Are you okay?"

She looked up to find Trowa's hands holding onto her arms stiffly.  This was very embarrassing.  Finding yourself falling into the arms of a boy you had a weird attraction to.  Forcing her face not to flush, she smiled a little when she looked at him.  God, whenever she looked at his face, her mind would turn blank or become lost in an imaginative world.  Just staring into those amazing emerald orbs made her feel better already.       

"Sorry, I think I dozed off there." She scratched her head shyly, her face not moving away from Trowa's.  She thought she'd consider herself to be a lucky person to be this close to a very cute boy like him.  His female circus fans would be gasping or crying because she was the luckiest one to be able to kiss him first.  

"I can tell you're tired," Trowa said.  Makoto wouldn't blink or move her eyes away.  Did she really like him?  He remembered Catherine telling him more than once how girls found him good-looking at the circus.  That was meant to be, right? It didn't bother him one bit that he had female fans.  Was that true? Somehow the girl standing very close and gazing at him was indeed an exception.  Why was he thinking like this towards her? All he ever did was perform to see the children's eyes sparkle excitedly or hear the crowd cheer when he did a daredevil skill.  His facial features always appeared emotionless and people often wondered whether he was fearless when he dealt with the ferocious animals.

Was he attracted to her like she was to him? He never felt love before.  There was so much he didn't know about himself.  He had no name to begin with.  He was…nothing.  But now…he was someone.  A former Gundam pilot and a full-time circus clown that people loved.

"We should go home," Makoto suggested.  She freed herself from Trowa's hands and they both left the office.  It didn't take long for her to lock the doors to the office, the changing rooms and the front entrance.  The locking designs were pretty much identical.  After Makoto closed the entrance, Trowa followed her stroll down the street and occasionally looked at her as she walked.  He wasn't an expert in emotions or counselling but after being with Makoto a few times, he could tell how she felt and how she acted.  

Sakuya was the main problem.  She continuously wanted to be the best and unfortunately Makoto happened to be the chosen one to take that status.  Makoto never bragged on being the best in the town.  No! She wasn't like that.  She had bigger brains.  Often she was the one helping people improve their techniques and they always listened to her.  Mia once told her she was like a younger Rika in training.  Rika was the first person to be approached when it came to learning figure skating and she'd be your coach all the way through.  Makoto didn't call herself a professional coach.  Though she was getting there.    

At the moment, she'd call herself Rika's assistant.  Once the beginner skater learnt the basics, she'd be there to perfect their style so they'd be able to skate impressively like her.  This only happened once in a while if Rika had too many students flooding around her like little children wanting to have a go at playing a game.  Only then would Makoto be of assistance.

The circus tent was just outside Juuban when Makoto and Trowa stopped walking.  The light was still on, which meant Catherine was awake.  

"We'll practise again tomorrow.  I'm sure it will only have to be done once," Makoto stated firmly.  She turned her back and began to walk in the opposite side of the street.  

"Makoto?" Trowa called her.  Makoto's ponytail flipped back vastly around her neck when she turned to the front.  She waited patiently for him to say something to her, expecting a sensible question to arise.  Trowa scowled secretly when he looked back at the circus tent, hoping that Catherine wasn't being nosy.  He imagined his sister laughing at them and purposely asking if he and Makoto were having a private conversation.  Sis would start asking him nosy questions such as 'Did you two share a hug?' 

"What is it, Trowa?" Makoto asked first, pacing forward to stand opposite him.  

"I…" He paused then looked down at his shoes, plainly struggling to say what he wanted.  "A few minutes ago when we you know…"

Makoto understood what he wanted to talk about straightaway, "Oh you mean when we kissed.  Yeah it wasn't serious, I know." She attempted a smile to show she wasn't upset.  But it seems that she was unhappy on her words.  She DID mean to kiss him – for real.  It was funny how he had managed to use his courage to ask a question like this.  Usually Trowa was too shy to even be able to ask something that was personal.   Maybe he wanted to tell her that the kiss meant nothing between them but she finished off his sentence for him in less than a minute. 

"Yeah…it was nothing.  You just kissed me because you felt like it, right?" Trowa confirmed.  Makoto nodded slightly.  Part of her brain insisted on telling the truth.  To tell him she wanted to be more than friends.  Anyway they needed to concentrate on their routines for the upcoming show that was scheduled in two days time.  How could they discuss the ideas of love when they had other things to do? Makoto thought it was worth a try to ask him a little about personal thoughts.

"Hey um…you've never had a girlfriend, have you?" She asked.  He shook his head.  Makoto held his cheeks in her hands to force him to stare at her intensely.  "We don't have to rush into things, ok?" She stopped him from talking back and went on. "It's just that…I really like you, Trowa.  I truly do.  I thought you were so cute the first time I saw you as a clown in the circus.  I wanted to talk to you but you were hardly there when I went backstage."

"Makoto, I…" Trowa was speechless.  So it was true then.  She was attracted to him.  Or you could say she loved him.  Other girls thought she was too naïve and fell in love too easily.  Once she saw a guy she'd think he was handsome and it could happen repetitively with the next male face she saw.  Eventually she'd have a long line of men and wouldn't be able to pick one out to have as a long-term boyfriend.  

"I kissed you because I meant it," Makoto said keenly, "Not because I wanted fun or for the hell of it.  When you kiss someone deeply it means you love that person." So if I kiss her, then that means I love her Trowa summarised in his thoughts.  Did it make sense to him? Damn he couldn't help being confused now.  Makoto was certain she loved him and he loved her back.  Not being too sure on his emotions was all that bothered him. Makoto knew that was his problem.  

"Trowa, I've thanked you so many times for volunteering to be my partner.  Not many boys do this.  You've got manners and a talent no one can easily compete against.  Not even Sakuya," Makoto explained.  "This is why I think you're special to me.  You always cheer me up."

"I do?" he exclaimed.  She nodded and lunged into him with a tight hug, her arms wrapping round his thin waist and her head burying into his left shoulder.  Trowa touched her hair then wrapped his hands round her neck.  This felt amazingly comfortable and made him smile happily.  Makoto felt warm against his chest and could hear his steady heartbeat.  Wow he was perfect.  Not only did he have looks of a hotshot but also a gentle character, which Makoto found quite mysterious and intriguing.  She lifted her head off his shoulder to lose control in her senses when his eyes moved to the same level as hers.  There was no more sadness looming in his pupils.  

Instead there was relaxation flying around.  And Makoto saw he was smiling brightly as he looked at her.  Did this mean he accepted her love for him? She was about to find out when his face moved nearer to her.  This was unbelievable.  He was making the first move.  They both held their hands together as the kiss was making its connection.  Trowa didn't seem to be in discomfort at all.  See, Trowa.  This isn't bad.  This has meaning Makoto thought gladly and her lips pressed against his mouth more deeply.  Thus the kiss turned out to be very, very enjoyable and long lasting too.

Trowa's right hand released themselves from Makoto's soft fingers and caressed her face's left cheek, which was smoothly surfaced like his own skin.  They both had forgotten that time was passing quickly per second.  This time it was Makoto who broke away from their embrace to realise it was getting late in the evening.  

"Do you understand now?" She questioned one last time.  

"We love each other, which was why we kissed for a long minute," Trowa replied.  Makoto giggled then gently pinched his right cheek in a playful style.  

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, ok?" She jogged for the rest of the journey, turning her head round to smile at Trowa and continued to make her back to her apartment.  She is amazing.  Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she is a wonderful skater too.  I do love her and I'm happy Trowa stifled a yawn and pulled the tent curtain away to walk inside.  The lamp was left on but Catherine was sleeping on the couch, a magazine lying on her stomach.  Thank goodness she was asleep for a while.  Otherwise she would have been spying on what he and Makoto did together outside.  

Switching off the lamp by Catherine's side, Trowa tiptoed to his bed quietly and hid underneath the thin covers.  He knew he was going to have a nice rest for eight hours.  His eyelids closed naturally and he could feel himself going into a more pleasurable slumber.             

TBC.  


	8. ch 8

Tears of Success 8

****

Makoto thought it was very sneaky and also rebellious to use Rika's key to open the front doors.  Usually the doors would already be open in front of her eyes and she'd expect the rest of the skaters to be inside the rink, doing warm up exercises before the lessons started.  But today, she was the first one here.  Or you could say she was the only person who arrived at the earliest time of 8AM.  On a normal weekend, the younger skaters would come at nine rather than eight.  Makoto found it more refreshing to be here at an earlier time as possible to get underway in training.  People called her the early bird and she didn't mind at all.

As expected, the entire arena was still empty.  Makoto's loud footsteps echoed against the walls and vibrated around the ice rink.  Her eyes weren't fully open as she stared out to the icy white rink standing before her.  Her mind was still in its dreamy state.  Eight hours was usually a long time to sleep through.  So why was she still a little tired this morning? Was her anxiety about Sakuya's strangeness constantly travelling all over her from day till night and wouldn't leave her body?

Speaking of Sakuya, Rika did tell Makoto the police were on their way here.  Good thing she arrived on time and was the first one to come.  How was she going to explain this situation to the rest of the club? More importantly, what would the boys say when they find out Sakuya was a bitch (for a bad reason)? Makoto was tapping her feet in repetitive thuds on the soles, waiting for her rival to show up.  This was one of the downsides of arriving very early at the club.  You had to wait around for more than an hour.  The only exception was when the majority of the club was late at a poor time.

Makoto was startled when she heard the sound of fast screeching tyres outside in the car park.  She ran to the car park, knowing whom it was before even seeing the driver come out of the vehicle.  That had to be Rika's car.  Who else drove fast in an emergency? 

"I came five minutes ago," She explained to her coach briefly, who abruptly raised her eyebrows sceptically at the second figure standing by her student's side and intertwining her fingers.  Makoto resisted the temptation to jump up from being startled for the second time.  Just feeling Trowa's fingers touch her own palm was also strong enough to make her feeble in her senses.  

Makoto helplessly smiled when she recognised Trowa's familiar physique.  He had come early as well.  She wasn't sure if it was worth going to see him at the circus tent before heading to the arena.  Catherine might purposely push her and Trowa to answer her nosy questions on whether they were a couple for real.  She was Trowa's sister after all.  Siblings were born to annoy their family members about personal stuff.  Still, he did make it here on time.  

Rika smirked at the pair, "I take that you two are now…what should I say? In love."

"Well yeah of course.  And we've both practised more than ten times on our routine.  Right, Trowa?" Makoto turned to the clown with glimmering confidence.  Trowa's presence was giving her the urge to squeak out loud or kiss him on the lips for a whole day.  The clown nodded agreeably in response.

"I hope so," Rika stated, "Because the show's schedule has changed to tonight." Trowa and Makoto's eyes practically plopped out from their faces when they heard Rika's last sentence.  Tonight!! That was too soon.  Why couldn't it be tomorrow as planned? True she and Trowa were sort of confident to perform their well-planned skating dance in front of the audience but it was completely unintended to have the show take place this evening.

"Why has it changed?" Trowa asked.  

"I don't think you two need to have an extra day to practise.  I trust you'll both be able to give it your best tonight." Rika stepped in through the fire exit door.  Trowa and Makoto followed her lead to return back to the ice rink.  Wasn't Rika being overconfident this time? Everyone at the club was aware that she could be *too* nice towards her favourite student and treat her like a Teacher's Pet.  Makoto wasn't sure what Rika had on her mind this morning. 

"When are the police arriving?" She queried.

"They'll be here at ten.  Until then show me what you've been doing, ok?" Rika instructed.  Makoto was unaware of the change in her coach's voice when they walked back inside to escape from the morning sun.  She wasn't that worried on her routine with Trowa.  They both had agreed on so many spins and lifts, it was bound to be good enough to please the audience.  Trowa was a natural acrobat as a clown.  He'd woo the girls here rather than in the circus.  Boy, he'd be like a super pop idol or something.  At least this wasn't the Olympics.  No one had to win any trophies or medals.  This was a simple show to make the children smile.  

Makoto really didn't have to worry about anything…it was just Sakuya.  She was like a dangerous virus that could spread its filth everywhere it went and threaten people by one little part of itself.  Even if it showed a microbe size of itself, it was still nasty.  Makoto couldn't stand the girl's rudeness.  Thank God she hadn't seen the boys in the club as often as usual.  They'd definitely ask her whether she had seen Sakuya.  Hell like she was going to tell them.  No Sakuya is somewhere rough, working out special operations on how to wreck someone's once beautiful face.  Makoto immediately skated to Trowa's right side of the rink to focus on something more serious than the picture of an annoying person.  

"I've got my classical music CD on.  Try to imagine the music flowing with your movements even if it doesn't fit them right now," Rika called instructively by the front row.  Trowa and Makoto went into normal positions that most paired skaters used before they commenced their show.  Makoto was in the lead as they casually moved across the ice, forward stroking.  Their hands released each other from their grips and they prepared side-by-side camel spins.  Rika thought their performance was good so far.  They were going in sync and adopting a unique style.  Trowa and Makoto spun round magnificently in their catch foot camels, bending their right foot in the air and their right hands touching their feet.      

Makoto was in a forward scratch spin.  She motioned Trowa to do the same thing and follow her direction.  Rika was clapping with pure joy while she watched them join together again.  Their arms extended outwards and their bodies went into continuous camel spins.  

"Try a lift for me!" Rika insisted excitedly.  She quickly flicked her wrist to look at her watch's face.  Twenty minutes left till the police come.  The arena wasn't open until 10AM actually but Makoto just happened to have kept the key from last night and wanted to come VERY early to practise her skating with Trowa.

"Do an up and down lift," Makoto suggested quietly.  Trowa nudged his head to confirm understandably.  He placed his hands on Makoto's hips then heaved her light-weighted figure off the ground for five minutes.  Makoto raised her arms up to show she was handling this perfectly well and had no fear.  If she felt her body was in proper balance, then that meant the lift was done correctly.  She could hear Rika shouting how great the lift was.  Without prior notice, Makoto found her body falling into a horizontal position and Trowa's hands moved as well.  Oh now she understood! She was being positioned into a tabletop lift.  Makoto kept her body still as she posed in the air.  Why didn't Trowa warn her he was going to do this move? She would have been prepared to be lifted up.  

"You didn't tell me you could do that!" Rika said, slightly surprised and faking an offended emotion.  Makoto winked cheekily at her coach.    

"See, we have been practising," Trowa remarked, gracefully bringing his female partner down onto her feet.  Rika grinned.  Those two were picture-perfect together.  She could picture them in sparkling costumes and holding two bright, shining gold medals in their hands as they waved to the crowd of fans cheering them on when the competition draws to a close.  Well tonight was just a normal fun show rather than a competition, which was too bad for Sakuya once she gets here and ends up being taken to a mental person's home.      

Apart from Rika, Makoto was the most skilled in figure skating and her ordinary agility was helping her learn every single move in this sport.  Of course she was bound to be the best in the show.  And she was lucky to have an excellent partner who was flexible and energetic let alone a complete beginner in skating.  But he did manage to catch on in learning the hardest turns most skaters had trouble with, which was certainly unusual.  Makoto didn't care if Trowa was strange in sports or whatever.  She liked him a lot.  No she…loved him, didn't she? Of course she did.  Trowa was special in her eyes and he was saying the same thing in his heart about her.  Why was love so weird these days?            

"Hey I'm expecting more from you tonight, ok? That was just a little taster you were showing me," Rika reminded, skating over to them on the ice.  She looked at her watch again.  "Well the police are coming in five minutes.  Sakuya will be here.  She'll think she's the first person to arrive, which isn't true obviously."

"Well she'll be in for a surprise." Makoto knew it would be unwise to tell Rika she was going to beat Sakuya to her knees if she had the chance.  It had to be a secret and Trowa would probably think differently of her along with the other skaters here.  Trowa might not think of her as a close girlfriend anymore, would he? Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to beat the girl up after all.  She'd lose her support from friends and coach when they see her fists flying in the air.  

Trowa's hearing disappeared briefly from Makoto and Rika's cheery conversation as he scanned the rest of the arena cautiously.  He could have sworn he felt something strange lurking about.  His gentle, emerald orbs caught sight of a figure running past the open doorway leading to the changing rooms and public toilets.  Black hair had run past the doorway in less than a minute.  It had to be Sakuya.  She was here as predicted.  

"She's here," Trowa stated sternly.  Makoto and Rika stared at him sharply, quickly understanding that he had referred to Sakuya.  Looks like she wanted to play hide and seek now.

"What do we do?" Makoto wondered.  There was another set of footsteps trudging their way down the hall and the new figures came into the light.  Three policemen had batons in their hands and were ready to go.  One way or another, this possibly wasn't a good idea for them to be here.  Everyone was dealing with a crazy, jealous girl here and you had no point in being easy on her.  After all, she did put her own Osaka club members in the hospital for slashing their faces up brutally.  

"I saw her go past.  She could be in the changing rooms," Trowa suggested formally.  The three policemen scowled at the possible hiding place the suspect was in.  Their faces clearly didn't want to show their utter embarrassment.  Makoto looked at the officers again.  No wonder!!!! They were quite young and maybe were a little hesitant around female suspects.    

"What? You heard him.  Let's go there!" Rika bossily ordered.  The police officers followed Rika's sprinting down the hallway.  "The changing rooms are this way." Her hand pointed outward as the police ran hurriedly in their leather shoes.  Sports shoes would have been better when you were chasing after somebody.  You wouldn't have to worry on breaking the smooth soles of your most expensive pair of shoes.  

"Well? Come on, what are you waiting for? Go in and find her," Rika ordered.  Makoto could see that her coach hated Sakuya more than she did. The first officer kicked the door open and the other two followed his lead as they walked inside the room.  Makoto could listen to their feet shuffle on the ground.  What were they doing? She skidded inside to check what was going on.  The three officers were on their knees observing a collapsed body.  She glimpsed closer and was shocked when she saw Mia was injured.  Makoto immediately growled and flicked Mia's fringe away from the black bruise on her left cheek.  

"Mia, what happened?" Makoto asked.  

"She left ten minutes ago.  She knocked out Nancy and Naoko on the way here and dragged me to the changing room by my hair." Mia groaned in pain.  

"Take it easy," Makoto said then turned to the police officers, "search the rest of the arena.  She's probably running right now." The officers nodded and zoomed back on their search.  Rika and Trowa arrived to see the first victim of the morning.  Rika gasped as she saw the horrible state Mia was in on the ground.  She helped the young teen skater onto her feet and gently seated her on the bench.

"Sakuya is at the top of my list of mad people," Rika cursed through gritted teeth.  

"I'll go find Sakuya myself.  Knowing her, she'd be waiting for me somewhere." Makoto slammed the door open to begin her hunt for the prey.  She tiptoed silently to the right as she walked down the hallway, barely hearing the officers running back and forth on the other side of the arena.  She didn't have to worry about them.  She knew Sakuya was near and waiting to attack her I can handle her.  I know I can Makoto thought Where are you? Get out here.  Show yourself.  The lights suddenly switched off automatically from the ceiling.  

Sakuya wanted to play this game in a sneaky way, didn't she? I won't fall for her games Makoto thought.  A tap on the shoulder brought out the boiling rage inside of her and Makoto grabbed the person by the shirt collar – only to realise it wasn't the girl she was looking for.  And the person definitely didn't smell like a girl for sure.  There was a masculine odour instead.  It was only Trowa.

Makoto released her grip off his collar, "What are you doing here? You should have stayed with Rika and Mia in the changing room."

"I can help you.  Just like you helped me learn to figure-skate," Trowa replied.  Makoto was about to say 'This isn't the time to compliment me' though second thoughts hit her mind.  She did have a good point.  She did help him, didn't she? 

Makoto smiled and thanked Trowa for volunteering, "Fine.  Let's go find her."

"Why bother? She's already here." 

The two skating partners moved their heads carefully to check their surroundings, finding out where the voice was coming from.  Where was Sakuya? Was she behind them? Trowa grabbed Makoto's hand tightly to keep her close to him.  She had to trust him.  It was part of the favour they proposed just now.  Gas filled the dark air in the unlit hallway.  Dammit! It was sleeping gas and it was hitting Makoto and Trowa's head very deeply.  The effect of the gas was too powerful to fight off.  They found themselves slowly weakening in the muscles and then crouching to the floor.  Their bodies had no choice in collapsing or losing conscious.  None of the nerves were responding.  Sakuya removed her gas mask to look down at the two unconscious people lying down.  Her smile turning triumphant.  

TBC. 


	9. ch 9

Tears of Success 9

****

Makoto received a nasty slap to the right cheek, which unsurprisingly woke her up from her brief slumber.  The slap encounter was mighty enough to leave a stinging feeling behind when the attacking hand left her skin and she could tell the slapped cheek was turning into a pink rash.  Where was she? Forcefully she opened her eyes in front of the now bright light shining forth.  Looks like the lights were back on.  Sakuya must have turned the power back on.  Either that or it was the job of the police officers who were still likely to be looking for their female suspect.  However she had two people as her hostages and this could worsen the situation.

And yes things were worse for Makoto, who found her wrists and feet tied in tight knots of rope.  Her hands leaned against the cold wall and she spotted Trowa in the same state as her while he crouched silently in his sitting position.  How the hell was she able to move from this discomfort then? It wouldn't be easy to do.  Sakuya was on her knees and her face had zoomed in closely to glare at Makoto's sleepy face.  She is immature Makoto thought seriously.  This wasn't meant to be a show off comment on how mature she was.  Older teens who had reached eighteen or above and told younger ones they needed to grow up were pretty much bragging on what it's like to be an adult and intimidating young teens.  

Makoto wasn't the type to talk like that.  But she knew she was smart enough to understand how reality functioned in the present.  She wasn't sure about Sakuya's real age though had guessed before that the girl was at least sixteen.  A rather IMMATURE sixteen-year-old was what she was as a matter of fact.  When Makoto was that age, she was beginning to have dreams on future careers in cooking or skating.  NOT fill yourself with jealous towards celebrities.  That was for people who were over obsessed in something.  As far as Makoto knew, she wasn't obsessed with anything at a high level.  Figure skating was her main priority and so far it hadn't caused her any trouble.  

Unless you counted the current situation she was in, where an unknown girl known as Sakuya was growing more and more insane by the minute while she held two innocent people hostage for a pointless reason.  All this had apparently come from vicious envy.  Never had Makoto met a girl who embraced herself like this.  If things went even further, Sakuya could easily be a stalker and send hate mail to Makoto through her mailbox.  Trowa finally woke up and the first eyes he saw were Makoto's.  Her face became encouraging while she sat on her backside uncomfortably.  She loved this boy through any situation.  Whether the time was bad or good, she could somehow feel safer when she looked into his soft gaze.

Damn she couldn't help feeling lucky.  Sakuya blocked her eye contact with Trowa, standing on her feet to cover the other side of the room.  From her daily visits to the arena, Makoto speculated that they were in an unused area that not many people used in their spare time.  It could be the caretaker's territory.  Maybe it was a new part of the arena that hadn't been built completely yet.  Sakuya breezed away from her position between Makoto and Trowa to make her way towards a large box sitting by her tiny feet.  

What was in that box? It didn't sound too friendly to the hostages.  Although they did have a rough idea on what Sakuya wanted to take out of it.  Just picturing those poor Osaka club members in hospital was surely sufficient enough to understand what Sakuya was going to do to them.  Makoto wasn't blinking as she watched Sakuya shuffle her hands around in the box and overheard the sound of clanging metal.  Knowing this psycho, she had tweezers, scalpels or screwdrivers.  

"What are you up to, Sakuya?" Makoto said.  Sakuya stood up and looked down at the brunette.  Staring disgustedly, she slapped her left cheek then went back to her toolbox.  Ok that meant she wanted the hostage to shut up.  Despite the fact that Makoto wasn't the karate maniac anymore, she swore to herself as soon as she joined this figure skating club that she would refuse to fight anybody stupidly.  But thanks to this situation, she was one heck of a rebel breaking her own rules.  

She decided to keep talking to this girl calmly, "People are already suffering in hospital because of you.  I think your game isn't worth it.  Why do you do this?"

"My satisfaction only comes after hearing people scream." Sakuya displayed a shiny scalpel that had been polished and cleaned recently.   Was Sakuya a qualified surgeon? "People who get on my nerves have to suffer torture."

Makoto gulped when she saw how very serious this girl was being to her.  She wasn't laughing jokingly.  She was smirking sadistically instead.  Makoto looked at Trowa through the corner of her left eye and could see him quietly move his wrists in and out through the knots, applying pressure against a broken beer bottle on the ground.  That was the typical way of escaping from ropes.  So it was true after all.  The knots Sakuya had given them were very loose and could simply be broken by sharp objects.  Makoto had to try to loosen her wrists freely.   

"Clown boy, you won't get anywhere through those ropes so don't bother, ok?" Sakuya rolled her eyes.  Whoa she had two extra eyes behind her back to be able to see Trowa doing that.  No her instincts seemed to be very strong and she could tell what the other hostage was doing.  Damn back to the start Makoto had underestimated this crazy girl.  

Sakuya immediately turned her head back to the front, "I'm going to make you suffer a lot more than the last people."

"What are you gonna do?" Makoto didn't want to show she was scared.  What was the point? The scalpel was so close to her nose, she could see a tiny reflection of her fair skin on the metallic object's thin body.  Wasn't it obvious what Sakuya was going to do? She was smart to notice me…but I'm smarter Trowa had already cut more than halfway through the wrists' ropes when Sakuya caught him without looking back.  He got lucky there, didn't he? He had been tied up so often and ten times out of ten he had successfully escaped from small to big knots.  And this knot Sakuya had done was identical to how a little enfant would tie a bow.  It was that weak.  Maybe she was on drugs that fooled her into believing she was stronger than everyone else, which must have triggered her jealousy towards Makoto.  

"Don't worry.  It won't hurt if you keep still," Sakuya insisted, "You deserve this."

Makoto thought of something to say before the scalpel's blade touched her cheek, "Wait!! Why do *I* deserve this? What's your reason? If you think only I deserve this then let Trowa go."

"I'm not gonna let him go!" Sakuya boomed back then grinned evilly, "I want him to watch me cut your vain face bit by bit." Makoto couldn't believe someone called her vain! She tried not to move too often otherwise Sakuya would see she was attempting to break free from the ropes.  

"*I'll* be the star in front of the crowds.  Only me.  Not you, Kino Makoto," Sakuya said, "I deserve to be the best.  I'll have boys drooling over me in no time.  And I'll be the only gold medallist!" 

She talks too much.  It's not good to brag away while the hostage is making his getaway Trowa warned secretly when he soundlessly wriggled off the rope from his wrists and freed his feet.  Who said about all the boys drooling over her? *Clown boy* here wasn't paying attention to her fake hair colour or her scary eyes.  She was a complete gothic doll who was selling at a cheap price in the shops.  What could Trowa do? He didn't want Sakuya to catch him creeping up on her.  This was a young girl he and Makoto were dealing with here.  Plus the fact she was only a teenager.  

"I'm gonna cut you up!" Sakuya murmured as the scalpel began to press harder on Makoto's skin.  Makoto prayed briefly for a miracle to happen as she braced herself for the pain.  She caught Trowa nodding lightly to say he was okay.  Luckily Sakuya was too concerned about destroying Makoto's face rather than anything else, hence it lowered her strong senses from behind and it meant that she hadn't heard Trowa freeing himself from his ropes.  Now that her hands were free, Makoto didn't hesitate releasing her aggression as she threw a swift right hand to Sakuya's mouth.  This had taken the girl by sheer shock when she stumbled on her feet.  Burning up in anger, Makoto kicked away the ropes around her feet and stood up properly.  If she was burning up then it must have meant her strength and evade had increased as well.

"How? How did you learn to…?" Sakuya groaned from the fierce punch she had encountered.  Her jaws felt like they were going to break apart.  "Grr…I hate you!!" She delivered a weak punch, which missed its target by a whole load of miles.  It almost made Makoto laugh uncontrollably.  

"Hit me," she taunted.  But Sakuya wasn't able to move her body in a stable level.  Whoa was Makoto's punch really effective? How long had it been since she had laid an aggressive attack on someone? Perhaps she had kept this hidden anger for too long and it was dying to burst after so many months of waiting.  Sakuya just happened to be the unlucky victim of Makoto's strength.  

"I won't let you be the best.  You…you can't be number one.  How can someone who's aggressive like you have the reputation as best skater in Juuban.  It's wrong! People will think you're a freak," Sakuya stammered.  Makoto didn't seem to take her words seriously.  Being called a freak didn't bother her one bit.  Sometimes it was good to be different and not always part of the crowd.  You had to stick out from people in some way, right? Trowa had the opportunity to creep up on Sakuya while she was still a little dizzy from Makoto's mighty punch and gently struck a delicate nerve point on the back of her neck.                                          

It was a gentle touch true but it knocked Sakuya unconscious instantly like a magic spell.  Makoto gasped at this fast action.  Since when did Trowa know about acupuncture or whatever it was one called it?  He grabbed the sleeping girl in his arms, dragging her feet along as if a dead corpse.  Makoto stopped him from walking further and lifted Sakuya's shirtsleeve up to examine her eerily pale skin.  She shook her head when she saw lots of punctured wounds all over her arm.  So she was a drug addict.  Probably a heroine junkie by the looks of things.  Makoto sighed.  What a waste for a young girl.  

"She'll be okay.  I'm sure the hospital will help her," Trowa said, cheering her up.  She nodded then allowed him to take Sakuya outside of the huge dark room.  She eventually worked out how to get back to the main part of the arena where the public often stumbled across and met up again with Rika and the three police officers.  They were startled to see a semi-conscious girl being dragged along silently.  Trowa kindly mentioned he just let her sleep for a while and that Makoto had discovered she was insane because of drug addiction.  Someone must have given the heroine to her to boost her skill in figure skating and to compete more against Makoto.  

Strangely she felt a little sorry for Sakuya since she had now found out her secret problem.  Her opinion towards the sixteen-year old girl did alter slightly in the last minute however the joy of feeling her punch collide with Sakuya's mouth remained greatly.  Most of the punches she pulled off did leave her feeling great actually.  Guess her fighter spirit was still there deep inside even though she as an amateur figure skater, training to be professional in future.  Rika and the three officers left with Sakuya to step outside, leaving Trowa and Makoto alone.  Makoto was too busy watching the others leave that she didn't notice Trowa's hand on her right shoulder.  

"We should get back to practise.  What do you think?" He suggested.  

She turned to him, "Good idea.  Tonight is the big night and there's no excuse.  At least Sakuya is out of the way." Suddenly she felt nervous rather than excited that they were going to be skating tonight rather than tomorrow night.  She couldn't help growing worried over the possibility of Trowa making a mistake.  

"I know it will be my first night of skating but I'll manage.  I'm a clown, remember? It's my job to entertain." Trowa smiled amazingly as if he knew what she was worried about.  Was he psychic? Why should she care? They had practise to do for the rest of the afternoon.  That was more important.

TBC.   


	10. epilogue

Tears of Success 10 (final)

AN: Hope this is okay for your guys.  You'll need to use your imagination wisely when you read this chapter. Yep it involves lots of skating.  

****

Since this morning, time had zoomed past like the click of a finger and already it was six in the evening.  Makoto and Trowa didn't know how it happened like that.  It just did.  They had, as suggested, practised their skating routines for one final time, which was an hour before the show was due to be on.  Naturally the skaters who were set to perform had to eat as much energetic food as possible to keep them awake and not tire out as soon as they got on the rink to begin their entertainment.      

Makoto and Trowa had spent time together at lunchtime, discussing on how the audience would react to particular movements they intended to use.  Makoto wasn't exactly certain whether showing off all her moves would be enough to make the audiences go 'wow' as they watched and she had to remind Trowa that this wasn't a competition.  The last thing she needed was another Sakuya talking about competition and being the best.  Makoto never liked to call herself the best.  People thought she was one of the top skaters in this area but she wasn't too fond of giving herself the title of number one skater in Juuban.  What was the point?

You'd be trying too hard to sell yourself to the media and it would be possible that they would make some silly gossip columns up about you if you weren't careful.  Truthfully, the attention was automatically being drawn towards Makoto though she didn't ask for it.  She didn't want to gain so much attention and she couldn't stop it from coming occasionally in front of her face.  At time she wished she were as clumsy as Usagi in her life.  Then no one would take notice of her anymore.  However she sometimes enjoyed experiencing chunks of local showbiz.  At least she was aware people liked her talent in figure skating and she had to show how grateful she was in return for their kindness.  

Rika was on a tight schedule tonight.  She had been sorting out everyone's costumes non-stop and had had to measure some of the teen amateur skaters to note down their heights.  Funnily, everyone except Makoto and Trowa were all small-sized in an identical way.  Hence it made finding the right clothes for the skaters a little less hard to do.  Makoto had seen Rika breeze by the ice rink and occasionally checking on how the younger ones were doing in their practise skating.  Understandably, everyone was nervous, especially to those who had only skated for the first time one night ago.  They had to do it again for the second and they still had ounces of anxiety brewing around their stomach.

Makoto told them they would be fine and that when they had to perform in a show for the fourth time then their confidence would rise.  She knew exactly how it was on her first show.  She was definitely scared and worried on making a mess on the ice.  With enough confidence and perfection, she was successful in her first performance and the audience were sure she was going to be a star when she turned twenty or above.  At first Makoto thought they were joking…but look where she was now.  She was about to (hopefully) prepare for a more precise performance tonight without making any mistakes.  Along with an anonymous partner - well he wasn't exactly anonymous.  He was a popular clown in the circus who jumped and spun in the air in front of excited faces, showing no fear against throwing knives that Catherine Bloom threw to him.  

Makoto sighed satisfyingly when the water splashed onto her face as she leaned her head over the sink.  So many things had happened in one day.  So much bad luck had attacked over the last week.  She wouldn't know how the audience would react when they see her again and remember her from before.  She hoped she wouldn't trip over her blades carelessly or have loose shoelaces blocking her gliding.  No she was slightly cleverer than anyone here.  Let alone one of the most stylish skaters.

Mia had recovered from the facial injuries Sakuya had left behind on her.  Nancy and Naoko weren't seriously hurt by the crazy drug junkie's actions this morning but were emotionally unstable right now.  No one was aware that Makoto and Trowa did get briefly physical with her this morning when she attempted to start cosmetic surgery on Makoto.  Though she became vulnerable through intense concentration and didn't keep an eye on Trowa.  Makoto and Trowa had both agreed to keep their little fighting tricks to themselves and not tell anyone else in the club what they had done to knock out Sakuya.  They didn't need to have more attention rising when they had to get ready for the ice-skating show tonight.

This time Makoto was really confident and with Trowa as her partner, things should run smoothly.  The audience would be in astonishment when they see the light acrobatics that would take place especially from Trowa.  Makoto was sure the crowd would recognise him from the circus.  Anyone could, right? He stood out from the stage.  Makoto knew that already because that was how she first saw him.  Rika came running into the changing room, quickly said hi to the other girls then breathed out in fast pants.  

"Wow the crowd are early," Rika said. "It's not even time yet." 

"Rika, I can't help having the shivers," Nancy whined, "and I can't wear this dress properly." She displayed the messy state of her glittering zebra printed dress.  "My fingers keep shaking."

"Get a hold of yourself, Nancy," Makoto assured, "just pretend it's a déjà vu of the previous show.  Don't get too nervous…" Nancy whined louder.  OK that didn't help Makoto thought and noticed Rika gesturing her head to leave the changing room.  What did she want to say? Her coach flicked her wrist to stare into her leather strapped watch's face.  This was what was special about Rika.  She always kept an eye on the given schedule and focused on being a very organised person in tight situations.            

"Trowa's in his costume.  He's waiting for you by the rink." Rika handed Makoto her skating costume in a plastic bag.  "You'll both be after Mia and Seth, ok?" 

"Gotcha," Makoto replied confidently as Rika marched off down the hallway.  She could hear the audience's footsteps trampling into the arena and feel the high number of spectators walking to their seats.  Wow there was so many people here.  I've got to focus.  Don't get nervous or you'll mess up like last time.  You have NO headache.  Repeat! You have no headache and you won't get dizzy Makoto almost forgot she hadn't taken a peek at her costume.  It primarily involved a pink frilly skirt that combined with a long-sleeved shirt.  I've gotta get my blades and tights on Suspiciously, she looked at the costume one more time.  There was something familiar about the colour and style.  Her usual costume was green shaded most of the time but tonight she was given rose pink instead. 

Makoto controlled her tempting shriek from her throat when she recognised the green dress.  Of all people! Catherine Bloom was the circus star and she had given one of her own dresses to a complete stranger.  This was unbelievable.  Makoto had to thank Catherine afterwards.  She had to! No one was this nice to her except Rika.  She ran back to the changing room to try the dress, her body filling up in excitement.  

****

It was a surprise to see a circus costume could pull off as a piece of clothing for a female figure skater.  Why didn't Makoto think about that before? The other female skaters had dressed already and were standing around by the ice rink to watch their friends show themselves to the crowd.  Makoto found the dress fitted her perfectly.  Wow, she didn't expect Catherine to be the same size as her in terms of weight.  She twirled her body round to see the tiny, frilly skirt move along with her.  What would Trowa say? He'd probably laugh, right?

She was about to find out his reaction after she found him standing in the dark side of the corner, away from the noisier crowd.  People cheered on and waved to their peers while the performers skated away.  Trowa came into the light when he noticed Makoto in her costume.  Instead of seeing his face like normal, Makoto spotted the well known half-mask he wore at the circus.  So he was going to dress as a circus, wasn't he? However when she looked at his clothes, they weren't based on baggy trousers or striped shirts.  He wore a tight, white jacket and white trousers that showed the outline of his athletic legs.  

"How's it going?" Makoto smiled shyly, blushing tremendously at the formal clothing her partner was wearing.  He looked like a superstar.

"For a minute I thought you *were* Catherine," Trowa admitted, "but then Sis doesn't have a ponytail." He held her hand gently, "That dress suits you.  You look…wonderful." 

Makoto cupped the masked side of his face and kissed the other cheek, "Thanks.  Um, what's going to happen with the mask?"

"I'll throw it to the audience."

She raised her eyebrows curiously, "Ooh I bet you all the girls are gonna go after it." They both laughed heartily. 

"Three minutes you two," Rika's voice pitched over the loud classical music playing in the speakers.  Her head turned to a right angle when she saw the two dressed up skaters.  "I knew the dress suited you.  Catherine says you can have it."

"But I…" Makoto glanced to Rika then to Trowa, unsure on how to react.  Why was Catherine being so kind to her? This wasn't her dress for goodness sake and she would have to pay for it if she was going to keep it.  It would be paying a favour back.  Whose idea was it to wear Catherine's dress? Then it hit her.  Back at the circus tent, Catherine was treating her like a true guest.  Of course.  She knew I liked Trowa and he liked me.  So that's why she's being kind.  Because she's doing it for Trowa Makoto was about to cry suddenly when she finally worked out why Catherine let her have a dress Catherine Bloom, thank you very much.  

"Makoto, we're up," Trowa said and dragged her to the rink.  Freeing herself from a silly daydream, Makoto rubbed her eyes widely before presenting herself to the patient audience.  Cheers of 'Good luck' beamed into her ears as her blades hit the ice.  Trowa skidded at the front, doing tiny turns as part of the warm up.  

"Trowa, don't forget – spins first then the lifts," Makoto whispered as she skated to the right in her position.  Trowa held his arm highly while he stood on the left.  Makoto inhaled in her focus.  She knew all eyes were on her and Trowa, staring with intensity as well as expectation.  They couldn't afford to make any mistake in this.  If she did do something wrong, Rika would lose interest in being Makoto's coach undoubtedly.                         

The jazzy music was on.  The skaters went into forward crossovers.  Makoto was in the lead as they held their hands in loose grips.  This show had to be done slowly in the beginning.  It would be too soon for the flashy stunts to come.  The best always came at the end.  Follow my lead, Trowa.  That's right Makoto nodded lightly to motion her male partner to move in forward strokes.  She kept telling herself to take it easy.  The cool stuff will come later.  Their hands let go and they sped up into side-by-side camel spins.  Small sounds of clapping echoed.  That was the first sign of a good show so far.  Trowa lifted his right foot behind his back and his left hand touched the edge of the blade gently.  Good, his curly camel was fine.  Now it was Makoto's turn to do an individual spin.  Her body bent backwards into a smooth layback spin, which caused an impressive applause.

This was the reason why she was one of the favourite skaters in Juuban.  Her laybacks were fabulous and so were her spins.  The music was too loud to speak above so Makoto winked at Trowa to signal another move.  Their arms extended to grab each others hands and they went into camel spins, moving round in a full circle.  The timing of their spinning was accurate per minute.  

"Mako-chan, you go girl.  Woo-hoo check out their laybacks!" Mia cheered excitedly.  No one seemed to have listened to her as they stared wide-eyed at the two amateur skaters dancing around the ice.  Clearly everyone's message in their minds was 'Keep going, guys.' They were supporting Trowa and Makoto all the way.  Makoto smiled briefly at her partner while they were in a forward spirals.  Trowa skated away slightly to perform a quick forward scratch spin.  Girls gasped in delight, which was likely to mean they recognised him as the clown.  He took off his mask and threw it into the front row as he spread his arms gracefully.  The crowd thought he was definitely graceful.    

"Lift," she mouthed quietly when she moved closer to him.  Expectedly his hand readily positioned round her hips.  Now wasn't the time to get all mushy and cuddly with him.  That would have to wait until the end.  Trowa prepared himself then pulled Makoto into the air by the hips into a strong waltz lift.  There were lots of 'Ahs' and 'Oohs' mixing in the crowd.  Makoto was in perfect balance as Trowa gripped her tightly.  It was almost like he was giving her a piggyback.  You two impress even more Rika giggled.  As she came down onto the ice, Makoto's eyes met Trowa's deeply, their right arms holding each other's hips.  They spun slowly to catch their breaths and slow themselves down.                                     

"This is great," Makoto whispered.  Trowa's lips turned into a pleased grin and broke his body away to take her to the air again.  This time in a tabletop lift.  Makoto's arms spread like wings while she turned round to look at the dazzling faces.  Seeing the enjoyment on the crowd was making her even happier inside.  Makoto came down from the lift, took Trowa's vacant hand and skated to the front.  They went into a large circle round the rink again, ignoring the fast flashlights from the cameras in the middle rows. 

"Shall we do the death spiral?" Trowa's voice wasn't audible from the cheering but it was loud enough for Makoto to pick up in time.  Her free hand bent inward to signal one quick thumbs up sign, meaning a 'yes' as her reply.  Trowa tightened his grip on Makoto's hand as she lowered her entire body downwards, almost touching the ice.  The edges of her blades turned to the side while she went into a forward inside death spiral.  People thought she was in a deep trance at such a low position.  She was in fact relaxing.  Trowa lifted his free arm up to show they were here to entertain and wanted to let the audience know they were thankful for them being here.  

Applause came again but at a louder volume.  Makoto came back to her normal posture and joined Trowa in simultaneous flying sit spins.  They slowed down into one-footed spins, moving nearer to each other.  The applause was continuous.

"You rock, guys.  Yeah!!!" Rika clapped her hands crazily. "I should have let the clown join earlier.  Damn you, Rika." After the flying sit spins faded, Trowa dragged Makoto into his arms, in time to the finale of the music.  Her right arm wrapped round his neck and her eyes looked up victoriously.  Their breathing was fast and exhausted.  They turned to the audience to bow. The crowd jumped off their seats as they clapped and even whooped noisily to show they truly enjoyed their performance.  So…they were the stars tonight, weren't they?

The other skaters ran up to Makoto and Trowa as soon as they came backstage to meet their friends.  Rika hugged Makoto proudly and said, "You were fantastic."

"Trowa, you're not a silly clown after all.  You're a super skater!" Naoko winked.

"Aww guys, stop the complimenting.  I'm blushing again," Makoto uttered innocently and covered her red face.  Rika sneakily stared at her.  She hated it when her coach raised her eyebrows like that.  It meant she wanted to play around or make a sarcastic joke about a certain clown.  Catherine made an unanticipated presence in the noisy atmosphere.  Makoto saw she was smiling brightly.  

"You do look great in my dress," Catherine said nicely, "I bet it made Trowa blush when he saw you.  Didn't it, Trowa?" She turned to her younger brother who grinned gently and held Makoto's hand closely.  

"You were the best act tonight," Rika explained joyfully, "I'm proud of you both."

"Expect the unexpected with Trowa.  He's not just a clown for nothing," Catherine added. Trowa found he was the one blushing now.  Sometimes that was what one would get when he or she did something successful.  They had to endure non-stop comments on how great they were even when it had a personal side effect.  Soon people were going to say how cute Makoto and Trowa looked when they kissed privately.

****        

Once the arena emptied and the rest of the skaters changed and went home, Trowa, Makoto and Catherine decided to walk back to the circus together to have a little celebration.  Rika was too tired to eat anything and went back home.  She must have been too happy to do anything Makoto assumed as she sat in by the table outside the tent.  She couldn't believe how night had come by instantly.  Why did happy times have to go so quickly? She wanted to experience this great day over and over again.  All the movements she did were spot on and it made her feel good.  

Trowa came in with cups of hot cocoa in his hands.  The chocolate smell filled Makoto's nostrils and her thirst came to life as the hot cup entered her tired fingers.  She hadn't had much liquid to fill her stomach since the show finished.  Good thing she met Trowa and Catherine.  Or else they wouldn't be giving her this delicious drink.  It was a fact that Trowa and Makoto's relationship did start by Catherine.  She was the one who said it would be a good idea to go watch the ice-skating show.  If she didn't, Trowa wouldn't have been able to talk to Makoto at all.  

As they had their drinks, Trowa and Makoto looked at each other for a while as they sat apart around the table.  Their energy was back in their bodies after their performance ended an hour ago so they were awake everywhere.  

"Trowa, you're the greatest," Makoto could only say.  She placed her cup on the table to hug him while he stayed seated, feeling his fringe brush against her arm.  He looked up to her face and said, "It was fun being a skater."

"You have to join my club.  They love you," She responded and bent her head downward to murmur something else, "And I… love you - my sweet Doukeshi." A large teardrop emerged from her left eye as she was about to kiss him.  It was the first time she was crying of happiness.  

Trowa softly flicked away the watery substance, "Don't cry…I love you too." Makoto laughed for a minute then kissed him deeply.  They were going to be partners for life – on or off ice.  

END

Thanks for the reviews, people.  Glad you liked it. The inspiration to write this story came from watching a music video of a Robbie Williams song, 'She's the One.' It doesn't matter if you don't know the song or who the heck this singer is (ex-Take That member who were finished long ago in the UK).  I'm not a huge fan of him but the video to this song was just awesome because it did involve ice-skating and when I saw it I thought, "Hey Mako-chan can do this!" Then BINGO a story idea came up. 

The problem was finding a special partner for her.  And the first boy I came up with was Trowa.  It could have been Heero though he would be better as a ballroom dancer in my eyes.  Trowa is a clown so he generally shows off more of his acrobatic skills.  Figure skaters do lots of turns and I considered Trowa to be the right person.  I'm weird, aren't I? LOL.  OK where I got the information on the moves…^_^;; I had to do my own research in the library and found this great book on figure skating.  Tada that's where I got the moves plus the basic outline on common sequences from lifts to spins etc.  There were pictures too to go with the explanations. 


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